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First-ever sloth born in Scotland

the face of a baby sloth nuzzled in an adult sloth's furImage source, Royal Zoological Society Of Scotland
Image caption,

Atty's been named after Sir David Attenborough

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Scotland is famous for bagpipes, tartan, and now, a baby sloth.

The new baby called Atty is the first sloth to have ever been born in the country.

He arrived at the capital city's Edinburgh Zoo on Monday 11 May to parents Erica and Nico, who are both six years old.

Atty's been named after the broadcaster and naturalist Sir David Attenborough, who turned 100 this month.

And it's a pretty apt nod to Sir David, who in 2017 told BBC News if he had to be an animal for a day, he would "undoubtedly be a sloth".

"You know, hanging about upside down, you've nothing to do, in fact sleeping most of the time," he said.

a baby sloth holding onto an adult slot while they both hang upside down among some green leavesImage source, Royal Zoological Society Of Scotland
Image caption,

Atty will be holding on tightly to mum for about six months

Atty is a Linne's two-toed sloth, which is mainly found in South America.

They're not endangered, which means there are still lots of them in the wild.

However, trees are being cut down in the forests where they live, so their numbers have been going down in recent years.

Atty will stay very close to mum Erica for the first six months of his life, clinging to her belly and getting carried around by her.

He'll also be fed food mouth-to-mouth, which will help him learn what's safe to eat when he eventually starts doing it on his own.

a baby sloth nuzzled into the fur of an adult slothImage source, Royal Zoological Society Of Scotland
Image caption,

The very sleepy baby Atty

Head keeper Jess Brown said the birth of Atty was "groundbreaking, not just for Edinburgh Zoo, but for Scotland".

"Seeing a sloth baby clinging to mum for the very first time has been so special for the whole team and we can't wait for visitors to see little Atty," she said.

"He is already showing plenty of personality and visitors might spot a tiny face peeking out from mum's fur."

Super sloth facts

an adult sloth hanging upside down from a tree branch surrounded by green leavesImage source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Their organs are arranged to let them hang upside down comfortably

  • Sloths are very slow on land but much quicker in the water - in fact, they can swim up to three times faster than they can walk

  • They can also hold their breath for up to 40 minutes

  • They only poo about once a week

  • They snooze for about 15 hours a day, but they're by no means the sleepiest animals around - tigers can sleep about 20 hours of the day away

  • They grow green algae on their fur, which helps them blend in with the rainforests they live in but also gives them something to snack on