page_title: Panama Creature
section_title: Necropsy
hierarchical_section_title: Panama Creature / Necropsy
caption_attribution_description: Bradypus variegatus Deutsch: Drei-Finger-Faultier, fotografiert im Cahuita Nationalpark im Südosten Costa Ricas English: Three-toed-sloth, picture taken in the Cahuita National Park in the southeast of Costa Rica Français&#160;: Un paresseux à trois doigts (Bradypus sp.). Photo prise dans le parc national de Cahuita, au sud-est du Costa Rica. Русский: Ленивец бурогорлый (Bradypus variegatus) в национальном парке Кауита в Коста-Рике This is a retouched picture, which means that it has been digitally altered from its original version. Modifications: Curves and noise reduction. The original can be viewed here: MC Drei-Finger-Faultier.jpg. Modifications made by Lycaon.
context_page_description: The "Panama Creature" refers to a carcass photographed near the town of Cerro Azul, Panama, in September 2009. After the animal was discovered and reputedly killed by a group of teenagers, photographs of the corpse were given to Telemetro, a Panamanian television station. The story and pictures circulated, and comparisons to the Montauk Monster were made. There was speculation about the identity of the creature, with suggestions including a hairless sloth, an alien species and a creature new to science. A biopsy performed by the National Environmental Authority of Panama on the remains a few days after the creature's discovery concluded that the corpse was in fact that of a male brown-throated sloth. The odd appearance had been caused by underwater decomposition, which had resulted in hair loss. Once identified, the corpse was buried.
context_section_description: The creature's corpse was recovered four days after the encounter, and a biopsy was performed by the National Environmental Authority of Panama (ANAM). The biopsy concluded that the corpse was in fact a male brown-throated sloth, a species common in the area. André Sena Maia, a veterinarian who works at Niterói Zoo, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, explained that "most people know how a dead animal looks like in a dry environment", and claimed that "the body must have got stuck under the water, and the movement of the currents gave the false impression that it was alive." A necropsy revealed that severe trauma had been inflicted on the body of the sloth, and Melquiades Ramos, a specialist from the ANAM Department of Protected Areas, estimated that the body had been in the water for "about two days" prior to discovery. The hairlessness was probably caused by the fact it was submerged in water, which can lead to acceleration of fur loss, resulting in smooth skin. A post-mortem bloating further contributed to the unusual appearance of the corpse. After the sloth was identified, its body was buried by ANAM staff.
caption: The Panama Creature was shown to be a decomposing brown-throated sloth.
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