MUSEUM CAMPUS — The Shedd is welcoming an adorable new addition to its lineup of animals to “awww” over: Alface the sloth.
For the first time in 20 years, the slow-moving yet charismatic mammal will grace the halls of the Shedd. Alface is a Linné’s two-toed sloth. Her name means “lettuce” in Portuguese — which was the first solid food she ate as a baby. Portuguese is the primary language spoken in her native habitat of South America.
Since arriving in Chicago in September, Alface has been exploring her new surroundings behind the scenes and bonding with her caretakers at the Shedd. She will eventually be able to be seen in the Amazon Rainforest section of the aquarium.
Besides her namesake of lettuce, Alface eats other fruits and vegetables at the Shedd like sweet potatoes, grapes and mangoes.
“Once she’s ready, we’re excited to bring Alface face-to-face with guests, inspiring them to care for sloths and the other animals that call the Amazon Rainforest home,” said Katie Majerowski, manager of animal engagement, in a news release. “Every encounter with an animal at Shedd can be the spark that inspires conservation action, which truly brings the aquarium’s mission to life.”
Alface the sloth hangs out at The Shedd. Credit: Shedd Aquarium/Brenna Hernandez
While Alface is a native Texan, born at the Dallas Zoo in 2023, her natural habitat is the Amazon River basin. In the Amazon, sloths like Alface can be found living their lives in the tree canopy — sleeping up to 15 hours a day.
The Shedd points out that the sloth’s coarse fur keeps the animals warm and dry in rainy weather, but can also grow algae and host insects. The algae growth helps the sloths to camouflage in the treetops by giving them a greenish tint.
Like many other animals in the Amazon, Alface’s species faces an existential threat by deforestation.
The Shedd hopes Alface will serve as an “ambassador” for her species, and raise awareness for the challenges facing sloths and other exotic animals.
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