New Baby Sloth Born At Denver Zoo

DENVER, CO – A loooong-awaited baby sloth was born at the Denver Zoo April 11 and is now hanging out with his or her mother in the Bird World habitat, the zoo announced.

The new baby is a Linne’s two-toed sloth, born to the zoo's super-mama 23-year-old Charlotte Greenie and her 28-year-old mate Elliot. Charlotte gave birth to baby Ruth last year.

Both mother and the "very healthy" baby, whose sex is yet-to-be determined, are "bonding and resting," the zoo said.

The zoo began predicting the baby's birth as soon January, but it was difficult to determine the gestation period because "sloth due dates are notoriously challenging to predict because sloths are primarily active at night and we rarely observe their breeding," the zoo said in a statement.

Linne's two-toed sloths, which are also known as the Linnaeus's two-toed sloth or southern two-toed sloth, are found in the rainforests of South America, primarily in Venezuela, Columbia, Ecuador, Peru and Brazil, the zoo said. They are a nocturnal species that spend 15 to 20 hours per day sleeping.

The world of sloths includes the two-toed and three-toed, and features six different species, including the pygmy three-toed, maned, pale-throated, brown-throated, and Hoffman's. Some sloths are considered endangered.

Want to see the baby? You're likely get a glimpse of Charlotte and her baby at Bird World, however the view of the newborn might be impaired by foliage or mom's embrace, the zoo said. The best time to visit is late in the afternoon when Charlotte is more likely to be moving around.

Keepers ask that you "keep your voices low while the baby adjusts to life in its new world."