Zoo Atlanta, Georgia, is celebrating the birth of a Hoffmann's two-toed sloth earlier this month.
The baby sloth, who has not yet been publicly named, was born on Aug. 9 to her mother, Nutella, 7, and father, Cocoa, 31, Zoo Atlanta said in an Aug. 14 news release.
This is Nutella's second child. The first, a female named Olivia, was born in June 2023, the zoo said.
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“We are so excited about the birth of Nutella the cub,” said Gina Ferrie, vice president of collections and conservation at Zoo Atlanta.
Sloths, she said, “have so many fascinating adaptations and behaviors that we can share with our members and guests.”
A baby Hoffmann's two-toed sloth was born at Zoo Atlanta this month. The zoo said it is “very excited” about the baby's arrival. (Zoo Atlanta/TMX)
Sloth pregnancies last about 11 months to a year, which the zoo calls “unusually long for the animal kingdom.”
These pregnancies, the zoo added, “are not easy to confirm,” adding to the excitement for the arrival of the new baby sloth.
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Although sloth pregnancies are very long, “sloth babies develop at a noticeably faster rate than most other mammal babies,” Zoo Atlanta said.
Baby sloths “are born fully covered in fur, with their eyes open and teeth already present, and have fully developed claws for clinging to their mothers.”
Sloths, Zoo Atlanta said, are born with their eyes open and are “completely covered in fur.” (Zoo Atlanta/TMX)
While Hoffmann's two-toed sloths “are not currently classified as endangered,” Ferrie said, “they have an emerging conservation story that can help us appreciate the impact of human activities on wild animals and ecosystems.”
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Hoffmann's two-toed sloths are native to Central and South America, according to Zoo Atlanta, and “face increasing threats in the wild” due to illegal logging practices and other human activities.
Hoffmann's two-toed sloth is native to South and Central America. (Getty Images)
“Hundreds of sloths are electrocuted each year while attempting to use power lines to move across fragmented forest areas,” Zoo Atlanta said.
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Zoo Atlanta works with the Sloth Conservation Project, a Costa Rica-based organization that rescues, rehabilitates and releases sloths.
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Nutella and her new baby can be seen in the Summer Sloth Habitat.
