Table of Contents
Oldest Living Sloth in The World. How Old is The Oldest Living Sloth Today? When is a Sloth Old? How Old Can Sloths Live? Here we answer the most common questions asked about elderly sloths.
How Old is The Oldest Living Sloth?
Long Live the Sloth! A cry that many sloth lovers will love to chant because they love these adorable creatures.
How Old is The Oldest Sloth Alive? The news broke in June 2017 that the oldest living sloth, a Hoffman two-toed named Miss C, had died at 43 years old.
In this article, we will be discussing…
- How Old is The Oldest Living Sloth?
- Who Is The Oldest Living Sloth?
- But Wait… There Paula the Sloth
- When is a Sloth Old?
- What Is The Life Expectancy of a Sloth?
- How long do sloths live in captivity?
- What Happens When a Sloth Dies?
- Where Are Old Sloths Going To Retire?
- Folly Farm Oldest Living Sloth Center
Read more below to find out about the oldest living sloths in the world today.
Who Is The Oldest Living Sloth? She’d been born at the Adelaide Zoo in the Adelaide City Centre in Australia, living her whole life there. To get an idea of the time frame, she would have been born about 1974.
Unfortunately, she began to have health issues that would require treatments that would make her life too uncomfortable, so the decision was made to euthanize her on June 2, 2017.
Up to that time, she was thought to be the oldest living sloth at the time and was the last one in Australia.
But Wait… There is Paula the Sloth
As venerated as Miss C was, it seems that she wasn’t the Oldest Living Sloth, after all.
Earlier this month, on June 14, 2019, Mountain Zoo in Halle, Germany announced the 50th birthday celebration of Paula, a two-toed who arrived at the zoo from South America in 1971.
She was about two years old then. That makes her about five years older than Miss C., and makes Paula the Sloth the holder of the Title of The Oldest Living Sloth Today!
Paula (the Sloth) is still very energetic for her age we hear that she had a vegetable plate and her favorite cooked maize for her birthday.
We wish her many happier and more enjoyable birthdays to come. If you like sloths and live in the USA check out our post 40 States Where You Can See a Sloth!
When is a Sloth Old?
When is a Sloth Old? Normally when a sloth reaches the age of 20 is considered old.
Even so, older sloths can still live a whole lot of years after this depending on their environment.
What Is The Life Expectancy of a Sloth?
What is the life expectancy of a sloth? 20-30 years is the short answer.
The oldest living sloth is considered elderly at 20 years old.
As we’ve seen, they can live considerably longer than that. Sloths can live as long as 30 years in the wild. Add to that the possible extra 10-20 years for two-toed sloths in captivity.
Three-toed can’t leave the wild so their life expectancy is about 20-30 years.
So the long answer to… How Old Can Sloth Live? Depending on the sloth species the expectancy of life varies.
An average sloth can live between 20 and 30 years in the wild.
How long do sloths live in captivity?
How long do sloths live in captivity? When a sloth lives in captivity it will add another decade or two to its life span.
This is due to proper care, medical and physical, a proper diet, and not having to worry much about predators while being in captivity.
What Happens When a Sloth Dies?
Sloths spend most of their life on top of their tree. Sloths over thousands of years have adapted very well to climb, find food, have baby sloths, and escape their predators, all while being on top of the trees.
They only climb occasionally to poop and then they quickly… as quick as a sloth can… climb back to the safety of the branches.
So when a sloth dies he does it on top of the canopy that he has adapted to live in and now it comforts him in death.
Where Does The Oldest Living Sloth Retire?
Since Sloths are able to be alive so long you’re looking at the need for an extensive retirement plan for the aging sloths.
Sloths in captivity required a lot of time (manpower) and resources (money) to keep them alive and well taken care of.
That need is now met. The Folly Farm Adventure Park and Zoo in Tenby, Pembrokeshire, Wales opened a sloth retirement home in November 2018 and already has two residents.
The first is a 24-year-old male named Tuppee. He’s a little irascible and plays tricks, but is caring, much like a grandpa. He was joined recently by the fifth Oldest Living Sloth, 34-year-old Lightcap, a female.
She claimed her seniority by stealing his nest box on arrival. This could have resulted in a turf war, but the zoo made Tuppee a new nest box and they’ve been getting along fine ever since.
Sloths generally prefer to be alone but seem to become more sociable as they get older. As others arrive, there will be lots of companionship.
Folly Farm Oldest Living Sloth Center
The center will take older sloths from other zoos. This gives younger sloths room to have families while providing a place for aging sloths to have their special needs met.
Sloths have some of the same problems that we have as we age.
We ache all over, our joints creak, we can’t do some of the things we used to and we slow down. Yes, sloths slow down as they get older. Just take my word for it.
The home is a large room, kept comfortably warm. Branches are used to create climbing frames that look more like what they’d climb in the wild, although these and the trees are shorter with lower floors, so they can get down to poop with less effort. There are ropes and nest boxes, as well.
Digesting their food becomes more difficult as they age, too, so caretakers boil root vegetables for them and occasionally give them a dose of cod liver oil.
Even though they’re retired, it doesn’t mean you can’t visit them.
You can watch them through double-glazed observation windows and compare their habits with those of younger sloths.
Don’t worry that you’ll disturb them, older sloths love visitors too.
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With sloths living longer, you can visit a favorite for years and even introduce your kids to them when you’re older.
Conservation methods and attention to health needs ensure your sloth friends will be around for a long time to come.
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How Old is The Oldest Living Sloth Today? When is a Sloth Old? How Old Can Sloths Live? Here we answer the most common questions asked about elderly sloths. What do you think? Please let us know in the comments.
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Ever wonder how old the oldest living sloth is? As of now, the oldest one is over 50 years old, living in a German zoo. Sloths are considered old when they hit their 20s, yet some can live into their 30s or 40s in the wild. In captivity, with the right care, they might reach 50 or even beyond. Curious about how these sluggish creatures age? Let’s chat about it in the comments below.