Two new fuzzy arrivals made their debut at Zoo Atlanta last week, ending a two year drought on adorable black and white creatures.
Giant pandas Ping Ping and Fu Shuang appeared to guests for the first time on Nov. 6, opening the new Panda Grove at Zoo Atlanta after more than $6 million in renovations. The pandas are here in Atlanta on a 10-year loan from Chinese research institutes.
But while the giant pandas were making big headlines, some smaller news was also taking place at the zoo.
A new baby has been born.
Nutella and Cocoa welcome new baby
Female Hoffmann's two-toed sloth Nutella and her male partner, Cocoa, welcomed their third baby on Oct. 30, Zoo Atlanta announced Thursday.
"Adorable news sometimes travels in slow packages," the zoo said in a statement. "They are almost
exclusively arboreal — rarely traveling to the ground — and do nearly everything, including eating, upside down. Infant development is similarly unusual: The sloth gestation period is uncommonly long for an animal of this size, at 11 to 12 months. Babies are born fully furred, with their eyes open and teeth already present, and have fully developed claws for clinging to their mothers."
The sloth pair have welcomed multiple offspring as part of a Species Survival Plan. While Hoffmann's two-toed sloths are not yet listed as endangered, their species does face threats from human activities across their natural habitats in Central America and the western Amazon. Their environment is experiencing large amounts of illegal logging, and hundreds of sloths die each year when they use power lines to try and travel between fragmented forest patches.
“We are excited to welcome Nutella’s newest infant,” Gina Ferrie, PhD, Vice President of Collections and Conservation at Zoo Atlanta said in a statement. “Sloths have so many behaviors and adaptations that highlight the incredible biodiversity of our natural world. They also give us the opportunity to share a conservation story that helps our Members and guests appreciate the impact of human activities on wildlife.”
Nutella and Cocoa's last baby was born about a year ago, and the zoo shared video of its first milestones.
When can guests see the new baby sloth?
The baby sloth is just a few weeks old, and the zoo has not yet released a name or gender for the small creature.
It's also going to be a while before guests can see the baby for themselves.
"Sloths are tropical animals not tolerant of cooler temperatures, so the sloths at Zoo Atlanta are not currently visible outdoors," the zoo said. "Stay tuned to Zoo Atlanta's social networks for updates on the infant, who is expected to be visible with Nutella when the sloths return to their outdoor habitat this spring."
When looking for the sloths, guests can find them at Base Camp Discovery year round, or at the KIDZone where they spend the winter months inside.
They have long gray or brown hair that stretches from their stomach down toward their backs. In the wild, they can become covered in blue-green algae in the rainy season. They can range in size from 21 to 29 inches long and in weight from 9 to 20 pounds. They have a flat, naked face and protruding snout, and their ears are small and typically obscured by their fur, according to Zoo Atlanta.
What is a Species Survival Plan?
Organized through the Association for Zoos and Aquariums, an international body, Species Survival Plans are coordinated efforts to breed animals of threatened species in captivity in order to increase species number and genetic diversity.
The programs use genetic modeling and breeding guides to match males and females of a species together with the best chances of reproductive success. The matches can come from different zoos or wildlife programs so that the same animals don't keep breeding. If too many offspring come from the same parents, they will not be able to breed later in life.
Zoo Atlanta is one of many accredited institutions in the United States that participates in the AZA programs.
Irene Wright covers Zoo Atlanta as the Atlanta Connect reporter with USA Today’s Deep South Connect team. Find her on X @IreneEWright or email her at ismith@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Baby sloth welcomed at Zoo Atlanta. When can you see fuzzy critter?
