A Two-Toed Sloth Accidentally Hitched a 40-Mile Ride in a Truck's Engine Bay

Most sloths move at a maximum speed of 6 to 8 feet per minute, but one two-toed sloth in Costa Rica shattered that pace on a recent joy ride. As Jalopnik reports, the female sloth traveled 40 miles after sneaking into a truck’s engine bay undetected.

The vehicle's drivers noticed something was out of place when they stopped to check the engine and saw a tuft a fur. They reached out to Toucan Rescue Ranch, a wildlife rehabilitation center near San Jose, which identified the stowaway as a two-toed sloth. Though it had been on board for over an hour, the animal managed to survive the road trip unscathed.

The animal caretakers at TRR dubbed the sloth Lola la Trailera, or "Lola the Truck Driver," after the 1983 Mexican action movie of the same name. She was exhausted and aggressive when she arrived at the center, but after feeding her a diet of Pedialyte, wild leaves, and steamed veggies, the caretakers were able to restore her to full health. She was returned to the forest she originated from following six days of rehabilitation.

A sloth's usual lack of speed isn't a sign of laziness—it's a survival tactic. Fat and protein are limited in the rainforest canopies where sloths reside, so they must conserve energy by limiting their activity. But as Lola la Trailera proved, sloths have the potential to move much faster with a little assistance.