I LIVE IN CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA
The Hoffmann’s two-toed sloth is a neotropical species that can be found in grasslands, shrublands, and tropical forests in Central and South America.
I AM AN HERBIVORE
The two-toed sloth is an herbivorous species that consumes a variety of leaves and stems, plant buds, and some fruits. Their slow-moving nature is actually due to their leafy diet, which has a very low nutritional value. They move slowly and can sleep 18 hours out of the day to conserve their energy.
TWO-TOED SLOTHS ARE SOLITARY
The Hoffmann’s two-toed sloth is a solitary species, and adults tend to spend most of their time alone in the treetops. After giving birth, the female sloth will take care of her young for six months to a year before they go their separate ways.
COOL IN CAMOUFLAGE
A two-toed sloth’s fur will often take on a greenish tint during the wet season. This tint is algae that collects in the grooves of the sloth’s fur and helps camouflage the sloth from predators. Their fur is also home to various species of moths that will spend their entire lives living on the sloth’s body.
HELPING THE TWO-TOED SLOTH IN THE WILD
The two-toed sloth at the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo is enrolled in the Species Survival Plan (SSP). SSP is a program implemented by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) to help ensure a genetically viable population exists.
I AM IMPORTANT TO MY ECOSYSTEM
Not only is a sloth’s fur home to different species of algae, but insects will often be found living on sloths as well! Cryptoses Choloepi is a species of moth that will spend its entire life on a sloth. Female moths will lay their eggs in the sloth’s fecal matter, and once the eggs hatch, they fly up into the canopy to find a sloth host to spend their life on.