Harriet the 2-toed sloth gives birth to fourth baby at Honolulu Zoo
Harriet the Linnaeus’s two-toed sloth gave birth to a baby sloth today at Honolulu Zoo in Waikiki. The birth has been viewable live to the public via this YouTube link.
This is the fourth baby sloth born at the zoo to mother Harriet and father Quando.
Opihi, a female, was born on April 24, 2015, Akala, another female, was born on July 17, 2016, and Tommy was born September 18, 2017. All three are on display with their father.
The Honolulu Zoo participates in several of the Association of Zoos & Aquarium’s Species Survival Programs, which includes the Linnaeus’s two-toed sloth, also known as southern two-toed sloths. As part of the Species Survival Program, Harriet and Quando are considered a genetically valuable pair.
Sloths give birth to one offspring at a time, but do not readily breed in zoos, according to city officials. The nocturnal animals sleep anywhere from 16 to 18 hours per day, and live on a diet of leaves and fruit. Offspring typically stay with their mom for nine to 12 months.
Sloths have a lifespan of 15 to 20 years in the wild, which can be considerably longer in captivity.
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