The pygmy three-toed sloth (Bradypus pygmaeus), also known as a monk sloth or dwarf sloth, is a small three-toed sloth, endemic to Isla Escudo de Veraguas, a small island off the coast of Panama, which separated from the mainland nearly 8900 years ago. Only described as a separate species in 2001, they are thought to have originated from isolation of individuals of the mainland population of brown-throated three-toed sloths. The population became a distinct species through insular dwarfism on the island.
A 2011 study found only 79 pygmy three-toed sloths on Escudo de Veraguas.] While their population has presumably always been low due to their restricted range, this census found far lower population numbers than had been estimated (around 300). Although the island has no human population, visiting fishermen poach the sloth, which is an easy target because it only lives in the mangrove forests by the sea. Although protected as a wildlife refuge, the enforcement is lax.
Pygmy sloths are listed as critically endangered by the IUCN Red List.
Source: Wikipedia
