Update: The baby sloth naming contest is now live! With a $5 donation to the Denver Zoo, you can help decide if the baby's name will be Rain, Wicket or Cappuccino (surprise, it's a boy!); the Denver Zoo website explains the reasoning behind the naming options.
The photo gallery below was originally published on February 8.
Step aside, Super Bowl puppies. Our attention for cute baby animals is currently being consumed by the Denver Zoo's latest arrival: a two-week-old baby Linne's two-toed sloth. And according to Twitter, this new arrival is a bigger deal than meeting POTUS.
As far as the baby bump watch, well, there wasn't one. It's pretty hard to tell if a sloth is pregnant. The zoo was preparing for the baby sloth to arrive in October, but it was instead born on January 26. Freeman says the zoo watches for copulation, and Charlotte also has monthly ultrasounds to look for pregnancy. Charlotte, who normally weighs about 17 pounds, only gained 2-3 pounds during pregnancy.
Gender reveal
So is this baby a boy or a girl? Freeman says it's hard to determine a sloth's gender, because you can’t see the animal's genitals. The zoo recently sent in a hair sample, and while they now know the gender, it won't be revealed to the public until later this month. The Denver Zoo, a nonprofit, will pair the gender reveal with a naming contest fundraiser. Coloradans will be encouraged to submit names along with a small donation toward the care of the zoo’s animals. (Personally, we love the name Westword.)
Zoo visitors can spot the baby sloth clinging to Mom for about six to nine months. Charlotte, named after Princess Charlotte of Wales, came to the Denver Zoo in 2015 after confiscation from the illegal pet trade. Freeman says Elliot, who arrived at the zoo in 2007, came from a similar situation.
Where are Charlotte and Elliot's other two sloth babies? Baby Ruth now lives at the Dallas World Aquarium, and Wookiee still lives at the Denver Zoo as an animal ambassador.
