There is slow much to love about the newest addition at Stone Zoo. A tiny Linne’s two-toed sloth baby was born on July 31 to parents Lunesta and Nero.

The little one appears strong and healthy, and has been observed nursing from Lunesta. Animal care staff has also observed the baby holding on nice and tight to mom.

“Lunesta is an experienced mom who is doing everything she should to care for the baby,” said Pete Costello, Assistant Curator at Stone Zoo. “People are always fascinated by the sloths, and we’re really excited for our guests to watch the baby grow and become more mobile once it’s big enough to explore the habitat. It will stay pretty closely attached to mom for the first few months.”

Zoo New England participates in the Linne’s Two-Toed Sloth Species Survival Plan (SSP), which is a cooperative, inter-zoo program coordinated nationally through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. SSPs help to ensure the survival of selected species in zoos and aquariums, most of which are threatened or endangered, and enhance conservation of these species in the wild. The birth is a result of a recommended breeding between Nero and Lunesta, and this is the fifth offspring for the pair.

Linne’s two-toed sloths are furry mammals that live in trees and are found in the tropical forests of South America. They spend almost their whole lives dangling upside-down from branches that they hold on to with all four clawed feet. While these animals move really well through the branches, once they are on the ground, they are very slow and vulnerable to predators as they are not built for walking.

Sloths eat mainly a vegetarian diet of leaves and shoots, and they spend roughly 15 hours a day sleeping. Although they live in trees, sloths are not related to monkeys; rather, their closest relatives are the anteater and the armadillo.