Adorable baby Sloth sleeping peacefully on its mom

Every once in a while we would see this Hoffmann's Two-toed Sloth (Choloepus hoffmanni) hanging from the tree behind our house in the Osa Peninsula, in Costa Rica. One day we noticed she wasn't alone anymore... how adorable is that baby?!?!Show more

Sloths are slow-moving, arboreal animals, related to anteaters and armadillos. They can only be found in the forests of South and Central America. They generally only come down to the ground to "go to the bathroom", as it makes them very vulnerable to predators.

There are six extant species of sloths, split into two families: the three-toed sloths (Bradypodidae), and the two-toed sloths (Choloepodidae). Each of these families only has one genus: Bradypus and Choloepus, respectively. There are four species of three-toed sloths and only two species of two-toed sloths: the Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth (Bradypus variegatus), the Pale-throated Three-toed Sloth (Bradypus tridactylus), the Maned Three-toed Sloth (Bradypus torquatus), the Pygmy Three-toed Sloth (Bradypus pygmaeus), Hoffmann's Two-toed Sloth (Choloepus hoffmanni), and the Linnaeus's Two-toed Sloth (Choloepus didactylus).

Two-toed sloths are slightly larger than three-toed sloths, reaching up to 7.7 Kg and 80 cm in length. Unlike their relatives, three-toed sloths have a herbivorous diet, whereas two-toed sloths are omnivores, eating small animals, fruits, as well as leaves. The gestation period for three-toed sloths is 6 months, and 12 months for two-toed sloths, but both give birth to a single baby, which stays with the mother for about 5 months.

One of the main threats to sloths are electrical wires, resulting in many electrocuted animals. They are also victims of poaching and wildlife trafficking, being sold as pets, or used as an attraction for tourists. Although sloths can be super cute and cuddly, it is important to remember that they are wild animals, and should NOT be kept as pets! The illegal wildlife trade is the third most valuable illicit commerce in the world, losing only to drugs and weapons. Only 1 in 10 animals survive trafficking! Do not support the pet trade! Animals should be free!