‘Inquisitive’ baby two-toed sloth born at London Zoo
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An “inquisitive” baby two-toed sloth has been born at ZSL London Zoo.
The infant was born on August 13, and has been named Truffle due to its ability to sniff out snacks in its habitat.
It was born to parents Marilyn and Leander, and was first spotted hugging its mother by keepers, who had not expected the new arrival for a few more weeks.
Sloth keeper Marcel McKinley said: “At three weeks old Marilyn’s little one is already very inquisitive, constantly using its nose to sniff around for snacks, which is why we gave it the name Truffle.
“We knew Marilyn was coming to the end of her pregnancy, but thought she had a little longer to go as we’d not seen any of her usual tell-tale signs.
“This is Marilyn and Leander’s fifth baby, so she had clearly taken it all in her stride, giving us a lovely surprise to wake up to.
“Sloths have a long gestation period so the infants are physically well-developed when they’re born and able to eat solid food right away.”
The newborn, whose sex will be determined once a hair DNA sample is analysed, is part of a co-ordinated breeding programme for the species.
