Lincoln Park Zoo has a new resident who is unlikely to make a fuss about it. Solana, a Hoffmann’s two-toed sloth just under two years old, is settling into the Regenstein Small Mammal-Reptile House.
The zoo announced her arrival on August 26, 2026. She came from another accredited zoo on a recommendation from the Hoffmann’s Two-toed Sloth Species Survival Plan, the program that coordinates animal management across institutions in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Keepers describe her as curious, with a stated preference for watermelon and eggplant.
Built for slowness
Two-toed sloths reach about 27 inches long and 20 pounds. They are related to anteaters and armadillos, live in the trees of Central and South America, and rank among the slowest mammals on earth. They sleep up to 20 hours a day and hold a low body temperature to save energy.
They sometimes look faintly green, because algae grows on their fur and helps them disappear into the canopy.
Sloths may take multiple mates. Gestation runs 11 months, and females give birth hanging in the trees. Newborns cling to their mother for the first five weeks and can reach maturity as early as one or two years old.
Not endangered, but not safe
The International Union for Conservation of Nature does not consider the species at risk of extinction. That is not the whole picture. Two-toed sloths are trafficked, and they have become one of the most commonly sold animals in Colombia’s illegal pet trade.
Visitors looking for Solana should check the Ecosystem section of the Small Mammal-Reptile House, and look at the hanging hammocks and resting spots. Sloths hold still even when they are awake, which makes them easy to walk straight past.
