3 Jun 2021

Denver Zoo’s new sloth habitat is a fast hit!

Run, don’t slooooowly walk to see the Denver Zoo’s new sloth habitat at the Denver Zoo!

Let’s face it: few species have captivated guests’ attention and adoration as much as its Linne’s two-toed sloth family. Charlotte Elliot and their offspring—including the world-famous Wookiee—are among the Zoo’s most asked-about and sought-after species. The pair are now being reunited in a new habitat after more than two years living in separate quarters following the closure of Bird World in 2019.

Denver Zoo’s Sloth Habitat

Located in Tropical Discovery on the east end of the Zoo’s 80-acre campus, the new exhibit is designed to give Charlotte and Elliot the space and features they need to live their best lives, and provide guests with a unique vantage point on the slow, docile animals. Tropical Discovery’s high, sky-lit ceilings provide a bright, sunny backdrop for the soaring 22-foot sloth tree, with branches bathed in natural light.

With the main guest path snaking around it, this central feature will draw guests’ eyes up to reaching branches and twisting vines and ropes as they walk 360 degrees around the habitat—searching the treetops for mossy, slow-moving bundles of fur. While Charlotte and will Elliot spend their days in their new treetop home, Wookiee will continue to inspire guests as an Animal Ambassador and star of one of the Zoo’s Up-Close Looks.

About Linne’s Two-Toed Sloths

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. They are a nocturnal species that spend 15 to 20 hours per day sleeping, and become active about an hour after sunset until about two hours before sunrise.

Linne’s are among two types of sloths—two-toed and three-toed—and six different species, including the pygmy three-toed, maned, pale-throated, brown-throated, and Hoffman’s. Although the Linnaeus’s two-toed is not currently considered threatened, two other species, the pygmy three-toed and maned, are critically endangered and vulnerable, respectively.

For more information, visit DenverZoo.org.