Zoo Atlanta welcomes baby sloth, second child of Nutella and Cocoa

ATLANTA — Zoo Atlanta announced resident sloths Nutella and Cocoa had their second baby at the zoo this month. Nutella gave birth on Father’s Day 2023 to Olivia.

Nutella, age 7, and Cocoa, 31, had their second child on Aug. 9, according to Zoo Atlanta.

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“We are very excited about the birth of Nutella’s infant,” Gina Ferrie, PhD, Vice President of Collections and Conservation, said. “Sloths have so many fascinating adaptations and behaviors that we can share with our Members and guests, and while they are not currently classified as endangered, they have an emerging conservation story that can help us appreciate the impact of human activities on wild animals and ecosystems.”

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Zoo officials said the normal gestation period, how long a sloth is pregnant, is between 11 to 12 months and is “unusually long,” among members of the animal kingdom, making pregnancies hard to confirm.

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Sloth born at Zoo Atlanta Nutella, a Hoffmann’s two-toed sloth at Zoo Atlanta, gave birth to an infant on August 9, 2024. The newborn is the second offspring of Nutella, 7, and male Cocoa, 31. The gestation period for sloths is unusually long for the animal kingdom at 11 to 12 months; however, pregnancies are not easily confirmed. Nutella’s firstborn, Olivia, was born on Father’s Day in 2023. Nutella and her infant may be seen daily, weather permitting, in the Zoo’s summer sloth habitat located in the KIDZone. (Zoo Atlanta)

While the pregnancy period for a sloth is longer than other animals, and sloths themselves are famed for moving slowly, baby sloths are known to develop faster than most mammals, being born fully furred with open eyes and teeth, plus fully developed claws to help cling to their mothers, according to Zoo Atlanta.

The Hoffmann’s two-toed sloth, Nutella and Cocoa’s species, is native to Central and South America and “face mounting threats in the wild,” including habitat loss from illegal logging and electrocution when sloths try to travel along power lines through fragmented forest patches.

Zoo Atlanta said Nutella and her infant can be seen every day, weather permitting, in the summer sloth habitat, inside of the KIDZone.

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