Hoffman's Two-Toed Sloth
Choloepus hoffmanni
Hoffman’s two-toed sloth earned their name by having two toes on their front feet. They are one of six species of sloth that can be broken down into two groups: two-toed and three-toed. They are native to South and Central America with populations expanding from western Columbia, Ecuador, and Venezuela and as far south as Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil. Much of the sloth's anatomy has adapted to accommodate their unique lifestyle: by strictly eating vegetation this low-energy diet takes a long time to digest thus giving them a slow lifestyle as a way to preserve what little energy they have, many of their organs including their heart, liver, and spleen are not in their traditional placement due to their upside-down lifestyle. The fur on their body also grows in the opposite direction from many other mammals, with the sloths' fur parting in the middle of the stomach and growing up towards their back and face. Sloths have two coats, a softer inner coat and a longer, coarser outer coat. Sloths in captivity will appear a lighter brown color, but often in the wild, they are more of a green color due to their symbiotic relationship with algae. A symbiotic relationship, or symbiosis, is one example of a relationship different species of animals can have in the wild. In this relationship, both animals positively benefit from helping each other.
Click HERE to see Winston's Journey to ZooMontana!
Click HERE for a Sloth Activity Sheet for Older Kids!
Click HERE for a Sloth Activity Sheet for Younger Kids!
Our Current Resident
Winston, Male – Born in March-June 2019 (estimated and celebrated)
Winston came to ZooMontana in June of 2020 from Saginaw, Michigan. Winston’s journey across the country has been documented through his Instagram account @sloth_zoomontana. Winston is the first animal you will see when you walk in through the Gift Shop. If you cannot see Winston, try looking up in his habitat and towards the back shelves, he is usually asleep (and sometimes will have his arm up, holding on to ropes and or ladders in his habitat).
You can check in with Winston through our ZooCams located on our website!
taxonomy
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Mammalia
- Order: Pilosa
- Family: Choloepodidae
- Genus: Choloepus
- Species: Choloepus hoffmanni
Animal Facts
Herbivore: mainly eat leaves of up to 12 different trees, flowers, and unripe fruit
Population Status: currently listed as Least Concern
Habitat: lowland forest as well as higher altitude rainforest
Activity: nocturnal (can be diurnal)- mostly active during the (can be during the day)
