Surprised Brazilian driver opens car door to find sloth hanging from steering wheel

Bizarre footage of the encounter in Manaus, in the Brazilian state of Amazonas, was caught on camera and quickly went viral after it was shared on social media on October 18.

Motorist Antonio Luiz Laghi, 73, had been about to drive to a medical appointment when he found the rainforest creature. In the footage, the sloth looks languidly up at Antonio as it hangs upside down by all four legs just as if he was balanced in a cecropia tree, where it feasts on its favourite leaves.

Antonio said in the caption: "Look what I found in my car. I'm going to the doctor now, I had an appointment. I opened the car door and look what I find."

The neighbourhood is famous for its closeness to the Amazon rainforest, which begins at the end of Antonio's road.

The clip took off after Antonio shared it with his son, local singing star Bruno Farkas Largi who posted it online.

Bruno explained: "He usually leaves his car open at night because of the heat. When he left in the morning, he found the sloth inside the vehicle."

After the encounter, Antonio persuaded the doorman at his condominium to return the sloth to the wild.

Story: NewsX