Baby Sloth Born at Indiana's Potawatomi Zoo

A baby two-toed sloth was born at Potawatomi Zoo in South Bend, Indiana, on May 9. According to staff, it was the first known sloth born at the zoo.

The sloth was born to mother Lily and father Lola, the zoo said in a press release. The zoo had not yet determined if it was male or female.

“We’re so thrilled about this baby, the first sloth birth at the zoo in recent history,” said Josh Sisk, executive director of the Potawatomi Zoo, in a press release. “It’s a significant birth for the sustainability of this species, and we look forward to all our visitors having the opportunity to watch this baby grow up,” he added.

Two-toed sloths, also called a Linne’s or Linnaeus’s two-toed sloths, are primarily nocturnal, slow-moving, tree-dwelling mammals native to rainforests of Central America and northern South America, according to Smithsonian’s National Zoo.

“Babies cling to their mother’s belly for five weeks, until they are strong enough to move on their own. Mothers spend a lot of time and energy feeding and caring for them, both before and after the young are weaned,” the National Zoo said.

Potawatomi Zoo said the baby was living in the zoo’s Learning Center with its parents. “The baby spends most of its time sleeping right now, but visitors may be able to see it being held by its mother,” they said. Credit: Potawatomi Zoo via Storyful

影片文字轉錄稿

[NO AUDIO]