After a day of research, I’m quite convinced that the creature supposedly beaten to death by Panamanian teenagers with rocks and sticks and thrown in a lake – the so-called Panama Monster – is actually a slightly decomposed tree sloth that had been immersed in water for a few weeks. There are six species of sloth alive today, living arboreally in the rain forests of Central and South America.  At top speed they can move fifteen feet in a minute and despite living primarily in trees, they swim competently.  Once a week, sloths leave their trees to go to the toilet.  They dig a hole, do their business and cover it afterwards.  This is when they are most vulnerable to predators and scientists are uncertain why they go through the trouble (although if it’s raining they just go from the tree). Click “Read More” for more images of sloths. To read more about sloths visit Kritter Korner.

This clip from Weird Nature on the BBC has been floating around the internet.  It is extraordinary, but what it doesn’t mention is that some species of pistol shrimp live in symbiotic relationships with goby fish.  They often share a burrow, which is built and maintained by the shrimp, but guarded by the fish.  The pair leave the burrow together to look for food, the shrimp keeping in contact with the fish with its antenna.  Since the goby fish has better vision, it can spot danger, in which cases it wiggles its tail and both animals retreat to the safety of their burrow.