All About Me!

Common name: Three-toed sloths
Scientific name: Bradypus
Type: Mammals
Diet: Herbivore
Size: 23 inches (58cm)
Weight: 8.75 pounds (3.9kg)

Sloths in the Singapore Zoo

There are currently two-toed sloths at the Singapore Zoo. The Singapore Zoo is protecting these sloths by keeping them from the Amazon Rainforest that is being destroyed. They are now living in a protected area in the zoo for you to see! One of the sloths that lives there is named Linné!

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Hi friends, I am Lottie a very sleepy sloth!

I’m from Central America and part of my family also lives nearby in South America. Back home, I lived high in the trees and the branches of the rainforest. Now, I'm living in the Singapore Zoo with my mom, Martha, and my dad, Bert.

If you ever go to the Singapore Zoo be sure to visit me! 
On to the story before I fall asleep... 

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Let me show you where I live!

The night is dark and humid and my home range goes to a maximum of 16 acres. An acre is a unit used to measure land. One tree is home to several of us sloths and of course, our feared predators.

Can you guess what type of mean creatures would try and eat me?
Well done!! Yes, some of the predators that hunt us are jaguars, harpy eagles, and anacondas. Brr… you guys are giving me nightmares!

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Oh, there’s Lindy, my mom’s friend with her baby girl, Lucinda clinging to her tightly. Lucinda will probably stop clinging onto her soon or in about 3 months since sloth babies cling to their moms for the first 6-9 months after their birth. I sloooooowly wave to Lindy and she smiles and waves back.

Hmmm, this is delicious... I’m feeding on the leaves from a cecropia tree which helps make my tummy feel better. I'm trying not to move that much while eating since I have very low stamina. Stamina is the ability to do something for a long time.

I take about a minute to move to the next branch where I feast on some juicy fruit; which is where I get my main source of water from. As I’m eating away, I dream up ways I can move to different branches faster.

Do you know how long it usually takes for a sloth to move branches? Take a guess! It takes most sloths 1 minute to move around 6-8 feet (1.8-2.4 meters). My friends and I are always trying to see who is the fastest sloth to move from branch to branch.

As I reach the branch to my left, I notice that there is a sloth mom trying to give birth. Did you know that sloths give birth upside down? In fact, they do practically everything upside down!

I see another branch where I already find my parents fast asleep. I sloth tiptoe to another branch... Ohhhh no!!! Can you guess what I found there?

I see a harpy eagle (ahhhhhhhhh!!!) family nesting there and feeding their young. I quickly (as quick as I can for a sloth) try and move out of sight before any of the baby eagles spot me.
I’m, for once, thankful for the coat of algae growing on me to help camouflage against the leaves and branches. I'm using probably the most energy I could ever use to find a cozy branch hidden in the trees that keeps me perfectly comfy and safe.

The sun is starting to rise... Yeaaayy, it's almost bedtime! Yes, we sloths sleep through most of the day. Hey, let's go look for a place to sleep! I have a looooong 15-20 hours of sleep ahead of me.

Tomorrow after I wake-up, I have to make my weekly trip to the rainforest floor to pee and poo. I try not to go to the ground that much since I have weak back legs that have no power. If any of my predators catch me on land, I might get eaten!

If I sleep well and am in a good mood, I might even drop into the river and swim. I looooooove swimming! Isn’t it surprising that sloths, a slow sleepy creature are great swimmers! The only time we finally get some exercise!

I cozy myself down, still hanging upside down, and go to sleep dreaming about how I’ll tell my friends about my adventure and how fast I was tonight. Good night…zzzzz.