Adelaide Zoo is celebrating the life of one of its most iconic and oldest residents, Australia's last sloth, Miss C the Hoffmann's Two-toed Sloth.
Sloths live in tropical forests in South and Central America, and they actually move so slowly that algae grows on their fur.
The sloths at Zoo Atlanta may be found in two habitats in KIDZone and Base Camp Discovery. The sloths at Base Camp Discovery may be seen year-round, while in the KIDZone habitat, they spend the cooler months in a warm indoor area.
Sloths are found throughout Central America and northern South America, including parts of Brazil and Peru. They live high in the trees of tropical rainforests, where they spend most of their time curled up or hanging upside down from branches. Sloths will sleep, eat, mate and even give birth upside down!
Whether they're just hanging out, taking a snooze, or moseying along to reach a tasty treat, our oddly adorable two-toed sloths, are as delightful as sloths can be!
Adelaide Zoo is celebrating the life of one of its most iconic and oldest residents, Australia's last sloth, Miss C the Hoffmann's Two-toed Sloth.
Due to their inherent lack of aggression, sloths are not a threat to humans. Sloths are solitary creatures who want to be left alone, thus unlike household animals, they do not like to be touched. So, if you come too close for their comfort, they can be deadly and severely hurt people.
Sloths have an average body temperature of around 31 degrees, so they can't survive outside of the tropics. Oh, me? I am just hanging around. Like koalas, there's a common misconception that sloths are slow and lazy because they're always high, or something along those lines.
While sloths live throughout Central and South America, they're easiest to find in Peru and Costa Rica.
Sloths who become agitated or feel threatened may use their teeth or long nails to cause pain. Sloth bites are “nasty” and can become infected easily.
They are also notorious for their incredibly bad personal hygiene, with pelts that are often discoloured green with algae ... and so filthy that they harbour their own diverse and unique microcosm of species. Of the two genera, the three-toed sloths rest at the extreme end of the laziness scale.
The IUCN Red List of endangered animals lists two species of sloths. There has been a steady decline in the number of these unhurried mammals as the years pass. Approximately 1,500 sloths stand in the wild today, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
As of 2022, it is legal to own a two-toed pet sloth in Alabama, Florida (with a permit), Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, New York, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon, South Dakota (with health certificate), and Texas.
Yes, sloths are cute, but we can't hug them
It's important to remember that just because a sloth likes to snuggle a tree does not mean they want to snuggle us! Except for raising their young, sloths are solitary, wild animals, and they don't need humans to go around trying to hold them.
Koalas are larger than sloths on average. Sloths will grow between 14 inches tall and 25 inches tall, and they'll weigh about 15lbs at their maximum. However, koalas are both taller and heavier at their largest size. Koalas weigh up to 33lbs and they can grow between 24 inches tall and 30 inches tall.
The sloth sleeps around 20 as well. But the cute and cuddly, yet deadly koala, it can sleep up to a whopping 22 hours. That's around 91% of the day!
There has been research done that shows that sloths definitely do not like being held. When they are held, their heart rates increase and they are visibly more alert, indicating that being held by people can be very distressing and disorienting.
Because sloths are solitary, wild animals, they prefer to be alone. They do not crave human attention like dogs or cats. Nor do they like to be petted, groomed, or bathed because these are not natural behaviors for them.
In the last year, we have sent sloth adoption kits to countries including: the United States, Canada, the UK, Scotland, Ireland, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, China, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan (and many more)!
Sloths do not explode. To be clear, sloths do not explode if you turn them the “right way” up. They just don't!
Sloths are very sensitive animals. Touching a sloth can be harmful because they are strongly olfactory animals – meaning they can become stressed by the lotions and perfumes people wear, loud noises, or by improperly handling them.
In photos they look a lot like a teddy bear, but in reality they have sharp claws that can do some serious damage. They can move quick when they want to, and they are not defenseless. People always laugh when I tell them I have scars all over my arms from sloths, but it's true. They can definitely hurt you.
Adelaide is the only place outside of China to house giant pandas in the southern hemisphere. Wang Wang and Fu Ni were loaned to Adelaide Zoo by the Chinese government in 2009. Since their arrival in Australia, the pair have been part of an international conservation and breeding program.
Australia Zoo - The Ultimate Wildlife Adventure
Steve and Terri Irwin's vision has always been to make Australia Zoo the biggest and best wildlife conservation facility in the world.