Originally posted by blackrain17
Any confirmation that it is actually a mutated sloth?

an autopsy has now revealed that the purported alien was actually a species of sloth that had died and started to decay before the boys' discovery.

Panamanian officials recovered the "alien" four days after the teenagers had thrown it back into the creek.

A biopsy done at the National Environmental Authority of Panama (ANAM) concluded that the creature was a male Bradypus variegates, also known as a three-toed sloth, a common species in Central and South America.

"The sloth had severe signs of trauma on its body, as shown in the necropsy," said Melquiades Ramos, a veterinarian at the ANAM Department of Protected Areas and Wild Lives.

"From the state it is shown in the pictures, we can estimate it had been in the water for about two days before being found."

The body's unearthly appearance is the normal state for a putrefying animal immersed in water, said Maia, of the Niterói Zoo.

That's because water accelerates the loss of fur and gives the dead animal smooth and almost glowing skin, he said.

In addition, bacteria decomposing the body created gases that made the organs swell, adding to the creature's extraordinary appearance.