Hoffmann's Two-toed Sloth
Choloepus hoffmanni
Silhouette: Xavier A. Jenkins · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassMammalia (Mammals)
- OrderPilosa (Sloths and Anteaters)
- FamilyMegalonychidae (Two-toed Ground Sloths)
- GenusCholoepus (Two-Toed Sloths)
- SpeciesCholoepus hoffmanni (Hoffmann's Two-toed Sloth)
About the Hoffmann's Two-toed Sloth
The Hoffmann's two-toed sloth (Choloepus hoffmanni), also known as the northern two-toed sloth, is a species of sloth from Central and South America. It is a solitary, largely nocturnal and arboreal animal, found in mature and secondary rainforests and deciduous forests. The common name commemorates the German naturalist Karl Hoffmann, who discovered the Hoffmann sloth.
Hoffmann's two-toed sloth is a heavily built animal with shaggy fur and slow, deliberate movements. The fore feet have only two toes, each ending with long, curved claws, although three clawed toes are on each of the hind feet. Other features that distinguish it from three-toed sloths, which may be found in the same geographic areas, include the longer snout, separate rather than partially fused toes of the forefeet, the absence of hair on the soles of the feet, fewer dark markings around the eyes, and larger overall size. The wrist of the sloth has developed some specific traits due to their slow, yet acrobatic motions. These evolved traits include diminution and distal migration of the pisiform bone, with a loss of contact with the ulna; reduction of the distal end of the ulna to a styloid process... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Hoffmann's Two-toed Sloth in Chirripó National Park
LIVEiNaturalistGlobal Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.