Mammals
Birds
Amphibians
Reptiles
Whilst Terry and her baby get used to visitors, the South American House will have limited opening times.
Enjoy life in the slow lane
Native to South America, Linne’s two-toed sloths live in lowland tropical forests and spend almost all of their time in the trees. Known as the most relaxed animal in the rainforest, sloths spend up to 15 hours a day sleeping and the rest of the day eating. A sloth’s full stomach can make up two thirds of its body weight! You can see our sloths in Cloud Forest where they live alongside the Visayan warty pigs and black and gold howler monkeys.
Animal facts
Key facts about the Linne's two-toed sloth
I’m found in South America
Sloths are found in South America’s lowland and tropical forests.
My favourite food is leaves
Sloths are omnivores and mostly eat buds, fruits and leaves but also enjoy insects and small lizards.
I come down from the trees once a week to poo!
A diet with low energy production and high digestion times means that sloths typically go to the toilet once a week.
15
hours a day spent sleeping
30
average lifespan in captivity
4-8kg
average weight
Slow but successful
Whilst sloths spend a large amount of their day eating, their diet isn’t very nutritious. They eat a lot of leaves and fruits that don’t provide much energy and take a long time to digest – sometimes up to a month.
The slow life of the sloth also allows an entire ecosystem of algae, fungi, moths and insects to live in their fur. Especially during wet season, when the air is more humid, their fur can support a range of life. So, whilst their lifestyle might seem lazy, sloths actually provide the perfect home for other important species!
Help us care for our sloths