Hoffmann’s sloth

Choloepus hoffmanni

NZ Various 07 20 AD ONB LR 16
IUCN Conservation Status –
Least Concern
Extinct In The Wild
Class: Mammals
Order: Pilosa
Family: Varanidae

Head to the top flight of our Tropical House to spot our pair of Hoffmann’s sloths, Roxy and Hadar, within the rainforest canopy.

This sloth is found in secondary rainforests and deciduous forests in Central America and eastern South America.

They are herbivores, feeding on leaves, buds, tender twigs, young plant shoots, fruits, and flowers.

Interesting facts!

  • Their slow movements are an adaptation for surviving on their low-energy diet of leaves.
  • Sloths have very poor eyesight and hearing. They rely almost entirely on their senses of touch and smell to find food.
  • A sloth may take up to a month to completely digest a meal.
  • Two-toed sloths can survive wounds that would be fatal to other mammals their size. The sloth’s slow, deliberate movements and algae-covered fur make them difficult for predators to spot from a distance.

Conservation

Habitat destruction and the illegal pet trade are two of the main reasons why the wild population is in rapid decline. Rescue and rehabilitation centres help to care for sloth who have suffered due to the pet trade or the loss of their habitat.