The baby, named Felize in honor of a long-time volunteer, was born on March 30. 

Felize is the fifth sloth to be born here at the National Aquarium and the third baby for mother, Ivy, who came to our exhibit in 2007. Felize’s father, Xeno, was born at the Aquarium in 2010. 

Staff has been monitoring mom and baby closely since discovering the birth and are happy to report that Felize appears to be nursing well! Felize will remain close to Ivy for nearly a year before independently exploring the exhibit. 

In order to give the pair enough time to bond, our staff is waiting to determine Felize’s gender. 

A Bit About the Species

The sloths here at the Aquarium are Linne’s two-toed sloths. 

Nocturnal by nature, sloths are more active at night—but not for long! These animals can sleep up to 20 hours a day, curled up in the fork of a tree.

The Linne’s two-toed sloth is commonly found in South America’s rain forests, where it lives among the treetops for most of its life. With two claws on its front feet and three on the back, it’s perfectly designed for an arboreal life. In fact, sloths even mate and give birth while hanging upside-down!

To learn more about the species, click here.