World’s slowest mammal makes Longleat debut
Truffles the sloth leisurely settles in at the Wiltshire safari park
A two-toed sloth, believed to be the slowest mammal in the world, has made its first public appearance at Longleat.
Truffles, a 22-month-old female Linnaeus’s two-toed sloth, is making herself at home in her purpose-built display at the Wiltshire safari park’s Jungle Kingdom.
SLOW SLOTH: They can take over a minute to move just two metres
As sloths spend virtually their entire time living upside down in trees, the new display area features a series of interconnected ropes and branches.
It’s the first time Longleat has looked after a sloth and keepers are hoping to find a mate for her in the future.
Keeper, Gemma Short told Greatest Hits Radio:
“We have had to create a miniature tropical rainforest for Truffles with high temperatures and humidity as she cannot regulate her temperature herself so relies on the environment around her."
“We’re also having to chop her food into long chips so she can hold them with her claws. Her favourite foods include baby corn, sweetcorn, mushrooms and parsnip.”
PAYING A VISIT: Sloths can go without taking a pee for up to a week!
Found throughout the rainforests of South America, two-toed sloths sleep for around 15 hours a day and move so slowly that algae grows on their fur. This also acts as natural camouflage to hide them from potential predators including jaguars, anacondas, and harpy eagles.
They're most at risk when they descend to the ground where they can take more than a minute to move two metres.
As they need to leave the trees to go to the toilet, they have developed high-capacity bladders and rectums which mean they can go for up to a week without having to answer the call of nature.
Despite their sedate lifestyle, sloths are extremely good swimmers and will sometimes drop from branches into the water to swim to a new location. Their slow metabolism also means they can hold their breath for up to 40 minutes.
Naturally solitary animals, they live between 20 to 40 years. Their main threat is loss of habitat due to logging and rainforest clearance.