How long do sloths live?Updated 6 months ago

Sloths have been known to live for 40–50 years in captivity, though captive breeding programs have only existed for roughly 50 years, so that figure may increase with time. Researchers have no way of knowing how long sloths live in the wild—traditionally, looking at an animal’s teeth will give us a good idea, but sloths’ teeth continue to grow and wear down as they age.

The oldest known two-fingered sloth, Paula, lived at a zoo in Germany; the oldest three-fingered sloth, Buttercup, celebrated 27 years at the Sloth Sanctuary in Costa Rica.