 Hoffman's
Two-Toed Sloth
scientific name
Choloepus hoffmani
size
Weight:
8-20 lbs
Length: 24-25 in
characteristics
Body:
poor hearing • good eyesight • excellent sense of smell & touch
• flexible neck, can turn and see in any direction • dark
brown to pale yellow • forefeet have two digits • hind feet
have three digits • have 6-8 neck vertebrae • no tail or
vestigial tail • fur grows from belly to back, allows water to
run
off when rains • no front teeth • pulls food off with lips
Behavior:
arboreal • nocturnal • sleeps 15 hr. per day • males
solitary • females will group • good
swimmer • cannot
walk because of weak legs and long claws • on the ground it
pulls itself
along
with
front claws • come to ground once a week to urinate and defecate
reproduction/life
span
Offspring: one offspring • 11.5 mo gestation • born with
claws • young climbs to mother’s
belly and clings • will leave mother to feed at 5 mo but
associate with mother for 2 yr • maturity
3.5 yr for female, 4-5 yr for male
diet
Wild: leaves,
shoots, fruit • diet provides water needs
Zoo: leaf eater chow, fruits, vegetables
habitat/range
Habitat:
tropical forests
Range: Nicaragua to Peru & central Brazil
status
IUCN threatened
other
hair has
grooves to encourage algal growth • may gain
nourishment from absorption of algae or by licking the algae • algae
gives a green shimmer to help as camouflage • main predator jungle
cats
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