Creature Feature - Hoffmans' Sloth
Sloths really are the slowest mammals on earth, with the pale-throated three-toed sloth (Bradypus tridactylus) being the slowest of them all. With a relaxed top speed of just 4.6m/min, it really is clear that this sloth refuses to rush anywhere!
In total there are seven fascinating species of sloth, which divide into two and three toed members. The sloth to be admired at Newquay Zoo is the remarkable Hoffman’s sloth (Choloepus hoffmanni), a member of the two toed variety which is rarely found in captivity. Newquay Zoo are proud to be the UK’s first zoo to hand rear a Hoffman’s sloth named Roxy Peru, who rejected by her mother when born.
With their grappling-hook claws, long arms and specialised coat, the bizarre Hoffmans’ sloth is well equipped for a life spent high up in trees. The two toes on each foot are fused together and move as a single unit, and each toe is tipped with a long hooked claw, allowing the sloth to hang by these alone.
Lacking sharp incisor teeth in its jaws, the Hoffmans’ sloth uses its horny lips to bite off tough leaves. For the Hoffman, competition for food is never a problem, as they can impressively consume leaves that most other animals find poisonous to digest.
Spending most of their time casually upside down, sloths live a life of eating, sleeping, moving, mating and even giving birth in an upside down world. They only right themselves to climb up or down tree trunks, to defecate or whilst spending time on the ground (which is rare!) Walking by foot is not possible, so instead they move by sprawling on their bellies and dragging themselves forward with their hands.
Despite their sluggish tendencies, sloths are able-bodied at defence against jaguars and ocelots by slashing with their treacherous claws and biting. The sloths also benefit from the single cell blue/green algae that infest the surface of the hairs throughout their thick coat. Often making them appear as a mass of dead leaves, the algae provides an excellent camouflage for protection against predators. The coarse hairs of the coat grow in the opposite direction from other mammals – ‘upwards’ from a central parting on the stomach towards the ridge of the spine – a clever adaptation to allow surface run off of rain when the sloth is upside down.
All these marvellous adaptations have allowed sloths to become remarkably specialised within their habitat, resulting in few natural predators and competitors, making them incredibly successful in Central and South America. Nevertheless, populations in the north-western part of its range - especially in Colombia - are declining due to severe habitat degradation and fragmentation. The economic crisis of the cocoa plantation has also been putting pressure on farmers of this product to clear their forests to make room for other economic alternatives, whilst other native forests are being cleared for coal production, agriculture and city sprawl. Furthermore, sloths are hunted by indigenous communities and this illegal trade is on the increase - causing great concern to its impact on wild populations.
Other species like the three-toed pygmy sloth (Bradypus pygmaeus) are suffering much worse from these careless actions, and have been declared by the IUCN red list as Critically Endangered. This species has become restricted to an awfully small range, and is only found on one very small island less than 5 km² in size with its habitat still declining.
It is clear that conservation for these unique species is essential to ensure future survival of sloths, and even zoos such as Newquay have heavily depended on conservation charities like the UNAU Sloth Project in Colombia when hand rearing Roxy Peru. Unfortunately, being the UK’s first attempt to hand rear meant little existing knowledge on care and rehabilitation of a baby sloth. Without the help of UNAU, Roxy Peru may not have survived, but with their help she is now living happily in the Tropical House. Her adorable face now acts as an ambassador to visitors towards sloth conservation. Years following this, Newquay Zoo financially contributed towards the UNAU project, helping push forward desired facilities needed to continue running their projects.
Adopting Roxy Peru at only 8p per day (£30 for a whole year) can continue towards the hard work conservation organisations play on researching knowledge towards the behaviour of sloths, enabling better survival rates of offspring in captivity, whilst working hard overseas where it really matters, concentrating on conservation efforts to restore and protect rainforests. Its probably one of the most valuable 8p you have ever spent.
If you would like to adopt an animal at Newquay Zoo please contact us on 0844 474 2244 (local rate) or click the link here
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