Denver Zoo Announces Mother Sloth Is Pregnant Again
DENVER (CBS4) - A Linne's two-toed sloth at the Denver Zoo who is the mother of a young sloth at the zoo is pregnant again. The zoo announced on Thursday morning that the new baby is expected in late February or early March.
Charlotte, whose "last name" is Greenie, is a 23-year-old Linnaeus two-toed sloth. She was brought to the zoo in 2015 and introduced to Elliot, the new baby's father, soon afterwards. The two became the parents of Baby Ruth, who will be the new baby's big sister, in late January. Charlotte also gave birth to four other sloths when she was at the Cleveland Metro Zoo.
Zoo officials said that it's not known if Charlotte is having boy or girl this time around, and that likely won't be known for a few months after it is born. Charlotte was pregnant for 10 months before she gave birth to Baby Ruth and the gender of the baby wasn't known until March.
Staff are doing ultrasound work with Charlotte regularly. She's is one of the few sloths in the world who has been cooperative with zookeepers about getting ultrasounds done.
LINK: Denver Zoo
Charlotte can be found in her exhibit in Bird World.
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The zoo released the following facts about the upcoming birth:
-When the baby arrives, it will likely measure around 10 inches long and weigh 10-13 ounces.
-He or she will hide in Charlotte's fur and cling to her while nursing for the first four to five weeks, then remain with Charlotte for up to nine months before venturing out on its own.
-Sloths live for about 20 years in the wild, but can reach 30-40 years in zoos.