Free Teacher Resources
A Hoffmann's two-toed sloth hanging upside down among leafy branches.
Photo: Jsfouche, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Hoffmann's Two-Toed Sloth

Choloepus hoffmanni

A slow, upside-down rainforest sloth of Central America and northwestern South America that sleeps about 15 hours a day.

🦥 Sloths and Anteaters
Checking teacher reviews…
Teacher? Sign in to review this page →Report a mistake

About the Hoffmann's Two-Toed Sloth

Hoffmann's two-toed sloths live in lowland rainforests from Costa Rica and Panama to northwestern Colombia and Ecuador. They are 21 to 29 inches long and weigh 9 to 20 pounds. They eat only leaves and some fruit. Sloths sleep about 15 hours a day and wake after sunset. Their long, hooked claws hold them to branches even while they sleep, and their fur grows from belly to back so rain runs off.[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name
Choloepus hoffmanni[1]
Size
21 to 29 inches long.[1]
Weight
9 to 20 pounds.[1]
Lifespan
About 20 years in the wild. Up to 40 in zoos.[1]
Diet
Herbivore. Mostly tree leaves and some fruit.[1]
Habitat
Lowland rainforest.[1]
Where it lives
Costa Rica, Panama, northwestern Colombia and Ecuador.[1]
Group life
Not very social. Active at night; sleeps about 15 hours a day.[1]
Babies
One baby after up to 12 months. It clings to its mother's fur.[1]
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN Red List, assessed 2013).[2]

Fun facts

  • Sloths eat, sleep and even give birth while hanging upside down.[1]
  • A sloth's fur grows from its belly toward its back, the opposite of most mammals.[1]
  • Sloth teeth are brown and have no enamel.[1]
  • A sloth's claws can hold it on a branch even while it sleeps.[1]

Vocabulary

metabolism
How fast the body uses energy.
algae
Simple plant-like living things that grow in water or damp places.
nocturnal
Active at night and resting during the day.
claw
A sharp, curved nail on an animal's foot.
arboreal
Living mostly in trees.

See it in person

Sources

  1. [1] Zoo Atlanta. “Hoffmann's Two-toed Sloth.” https://zooatlanta.org/animal/hoffmanns-two-toed-sloth/ (accessed 2026-10-02)
  2. [2] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Choloepus hoffmanni (Hoffmann's Two-toed Sloth).” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/4778/47439751 (accessed 2026-10-02)

Facts last checked 2026-10-02.

More Sloths and Anteaters

A giant anteater with a long snout and bushy tail sniffing the ground.Giant AnteaterMyrmecophaga tridactylaA toothless insect-eater of Central and South America that flicks its 2-foot tongue up to 150 times a minute.A southern three-banded armadillo with yellowish armor plates.Southern Three-Banded ArmadilloTolypeutes matacusA small South American armadillo, the only kind that can roll up into a complete armored ball.A two-toed sloth hanging from branches by its long claws.Two-Toed SlothCholoepus didactylusAn upside-down rainforest mammal of Central and South America that sleeps about 15 hours a day and grows algae in its fur.