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A Hoffman’s two-toed sloth is seen eating inside its new habitat at the Palm Beach Zoo Conservation Society on Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025 in West Palm Beach, Fla. Credit: AP Photo\/Cody Jackson<\/p>\n
Golden lion tamarins and Hoffman’s two-toed sloths have become unlikely roommates in a brand new habitat at the Palm Beach Zoo and Conservation Society<\/a> in Florida.<\/p>\n Both species are native to the forests of South America, which is why the new habitat<\/a> features a thick canopy of trees. The golden tamarins, with their distinct orange mane, love frolicking in the treetops, while the sloths are perfectly happy hanging from the trees.<\/p>\n “Maybe the golden tamarins think of the sloth<\/a> as more furniture because they don’t really do too much. They’re more sedentary,” said Devin Clarke, a senior supervisor at the zoo. “They like to sleep during the day, a little bit more active at night. So just watching, you know, like their couch walking around at night isn’t too scary for them.”<\/p>\n The habitat, which opened in late August, offers the sloths and tamarins a unique space to interact with one another\u2014or mind their own business. The space features a network of vines, ropes and tunnels that encourages exploration, zoo officials said.<\/p>\n “Just being able to see them up close and personal is really a way to inspire connection,” Clarke said. “And once people start really having that connection and harboring that connection with the wild animal<\/a>, they’re able to look at their lives and say, ‘What can I do differently to help these animals’ wild counterparts down in Brazil and Central America thrive?'”<\/p>\n A golden lion tamarin is seen inside its new habitat at the Palm Beach Zoo Conservation Society on Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025 in West Palm Beach, Fla. Credit: AP Photo\/Cody Jackson<\/p>\n He said that in the 1970s, there were less than 200 golden tamarinds in the wild. Some 40 zoos accredited through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums put together a plan to rerelease the species into the wild. Their numbers topped 5,000 as of last year, he said.<\/p>\n The previous tamarin habitat at the zoo was a little smaller, Clarke said.<\/p>\n “We wanted to be able to give them a better well-being, so enhancing their lives with enrichment, with space, so they can act a little bit more natural,” he added.<\/p>\n Conservation is part of the Palm Beach Zoo’s identity, so native Florida plants are part of the new habitat.<\/p>\n![\"Golden](\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800a\/2025\/golden-lion-tamarins-a-1.jpg\" "\\"A")
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