The Venezuelan Red Howler monkey that we met in the Amazonian jungle of Leticia, whose name we would later find out was Balu, was small with crimson red fur, and a handsome, serious expression. Balu's face was surrounded by fur, but most notably was his large jawbone and small, stubby nose. Balu probably weighed about 6.0 lbs, and had a long tail of 36 – 50 inches. His tail was covered with fur except for a small part of it, which allows it to grab branches. In fact, it's long tail assists it by providing both support and grasping abilities while climbing. Also, its long fingers, hands and feet are pretty big, which allow it to better move about in the trees.
When I met the Sloth, who was actually someone's pet from the nearby jungle neighborhood, I thought he looked pretty cute! His constant smile and slow movements led me to think that the Sloth would probably be content and relaxed. Dios mío, was I wrong! After the guide handed me the Sloth to hold, with his back to me, he slowly turned his head completely around to look me in the eyes! Then, I couldn't believe the strength with which the Sloth reached up to a nearby branch, grabbed on with his long claws, and quickly started pulling himself up. He had such a tight grip that our guide had to cut the branch off so that we wouldn't keep climbing higher! I'll never think of a Sloth the same way.
On the other hand, Balu was very social and comfortable around Kim, our guide, and I. We found Balu waiting in our campsite perched on a log. It was almost as if he was waiting for us to arrive!
