A little two-toed sloth was born in Warsaw Zoo on December 22, 2021, and therefore its zodiac sign is Capricorn. The fourth child of Amy and Paavo is the fifth sloth born in Warsaw zoological garden.
Warsaw Zoo said that during breastfeeding period, which takes 4-6 weeks, the little sloth will hold on tight to its mother. In the following 5-8 months, its mother will still carry the baby on her belly, but the child will slowly begin to try other food than the mother's milk. It will become fully independent after 12 months.
The gender of the baby sloth is still unknown. The little one can be seen in the Warsaw Zoo Aviary. "We advise to be patient if you want to spot our little dark-brown ball" - the zoo said.
Sloths are very introverted animals, so their courtship display is very hard to notice, even though they can even last up to... 40 hours. Gestation period in these mammals lasts 263 days, and mothers give birth in their usual positions, that is hanging high among the branches. The offspring emerges head first and face upward as the mother hangs. As soon as the baby’s front limbs are free, it grasps the abdominal hair of the mother and pulls itself to her chest.
Two-toed sloths have an extremely slow metabolism and prefer a very low-calory diet. They take only a few breaths per minute, it takes them up to a month to fully digest eaten food, and they excrete once a week on average. That last activity is one of a very few moments when sloths come down from trees. Slow metabolism also results in a low body temperature of 30-34 degrees Celsius, which can vary depending on the ambient temperature.
Źródło: TVN24 News in English, tvnwarszawa.pl
Źródło zdjęcia głównego: M. Jezierski / wolontariusz Warszawskiego Zoo