Baby Two-Toed Sloth Born at San Diego Zoo Snuggles Into Mom's Fur
California’s San Diego Zoo announced the recent birth of a two-toed sloth with an adorable video of the new resident snuggling into her mother’s fur.
The female Linnaeus’s two-toed sloth was born to mother Xena on Saturday, June 25, the zoo said in a press release. The zoo did not release a name for the sloth cub.
“We are thrilled and honored to have this baby sloth in our care,” said Clint Lusardi, wildlife care manager at the San Diego Zoo, in the press release. “Xena is taking excellent care of her baby as it continues to grow and thrive every day," Lusardi added.
According to the press release, the sloth cub began eating solid foods at just a few days old and was hanging upside-down on her own at around 25 days old.
Two-toed sloths, also called Linnaeus’s two-toed sloths, are primarily nocturnal 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.
This footage released to Storyful shows the baby sloth clinging to her mother as she sleeps, eats, and lounges in their section of the zoo. Credit: San Diego Zoo via Storyful
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