With the upcoming holiday in mind, every day up until the first day of Christmas we will be introducing one of our residents awaiting your support, among whom you are sure to find your favorite.
The latest addition to our group of sloths, Fresco, joined the two females in 2016. In an earlier post on Raisin the armadillo, we have already noted that there were multiple species in his exhibit and now we will be introducing the residents of the upper level.
Two-toed sloths have a fascinating fur, potentially home to entire ecosystems in the wild; dwelling in between the hairs are a number of insects as well as two species of algae that give sloths a greenish tint for a great camouflage effect in canopies. Sloths can even adapt their disguise to seasonal changes in their environment as algae turn yellow in drier seasons and bluish green in moist weather.
Thanks to their unique limb anatomy, sloths can hang from branches with little to no effort – no wonder they are widely considered some of the laziest animals. The secret to their famously unhurried nature is to be found in their diet, the vast majority of which consists of foliage that takes up to three weeks to digest in their ruminant-like multi-chambered stomach. Once digested, however, food will make them get a move on since they only defecate on the ground – with a style at that! When in position, with two feet planted while still clinging to a tree, they start waving their body in order to aid bowel movements. (You are highly encouraged to look up a video of this!)
Unique in both anatomy and ethology, these strange-jointed animals live up to 40 years on average.
Like our sloths, a lot of our residents are yet to be adopted. If you want to make them really happy while also offering us tremendous help, please consider becoming a zoo foster parent.
An Annual Zoo Pass can also be a wonderful Christmas present and a year-round source of joy. More tips on gifts and how to support us at: www.zoodebrecen.hu/content/supportus.html
Debrecen Zoo and Amusement Park
