MINERAL-LICK USE BY CHOLOEPUS HOFFMANNI (PILOSA: MEGALONYCHIDAE) AT LAS CRUCES BIOLOGICAL STATION, COTO BRUS, COSTA RICA

摘要

To date, only one record of mineral licking exists for sloths (i.e., Choloepus didactylus) from Ecuador. Here we present the first record of mineral licking for C. hoffmanni from a tropical rainforest in Costa Rica. This behavior has been mainly associated with detoxification in herbivores, but no evidence exists for such needs in sloths.