NEW SPECIES DISCOVERY
Southern maned sloth
WHAT IS IT?
The overwhelming majority of new species described are plants, invertebrates, fish or amphibians, but every now and then a mammal appears. Scientists had previously thought there was just one species of maned sloth out there, but a taxonomic review including morphological and DNA analysis, as well as field observations, revealed that there are actually two maned sloths – northern (Bradypus torquatus) and southern (B. crinitus).
WHERE IS IT?
Both species are endemic to the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, with southern maned sloths found in Rio de Janeiro and Espirito Santo and northern maned sloths in Bahia and Sergipe.
WHAT IS THE MEANING BEHIND THE SCIENTIFIC NAME?
The word ‘crinitus’ in the scientific name Bradypus crinitus comes from the Latin word for hair, so approximates to ‘hairy’.
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