Visitors to London Zoo will have the chance to see a tiny baby sloth clinging on to its mum.
Elio, a two-toed sloth, was born to mum Marilyn on April 30 after a near year-long pregnancy and is already on display to visitors in the park’s Rainforest Life habitat.
“Sloths have a long gestation period so the infants are already physically well-developed when they’re born. Incredibly, this means they are able to eat solid food right away.”
Footage from London Zoo captured this week shows the youngster, whose sex is not yet known, getting their first taste of boiled carrots, a particular favourite of mum Marilyn’s.
Elio – a name which derives from sun god Helios – was given the name because they arrived at sunset.
According to ZSL, young sloths tend to stay with their mother for around a year before venturing out on their own.
The nocturnal mammals are native to South America and spend most of their lives hanging upside down from trees.
