My afternoon with Fernando

The Phoenix Zoo ofers camp experiences for kids of all ages where each week-long session is flled with up-close animal encounters, behind-the-scenes experiences, handson activities, in-depth investigations and more.

Now kids and their parents can have a “backstage adventure” together with one of the zoo’s most popular residents – Fernando, the Linne’s two-toed sloth. Fernando came to the Phoenix Zoo at the end of 2017 from the National Aquarium in Baltimore, MD. After a year, sloths get “kicked out” of their family group, so that’s how he came to call Arizona home.

Recently, my family and I experienced this backstage adventure guided by Mary Yoder, Fernando’s keeper and the collections manager of primates at the Phoenix Zoo.

During the encounter, you enter into Fernando’s habitat as Mary shares her vast knowledge of this endearing creature. We were warned ahead of time that Fernando might be sleeping, but he woke up long enough for us to snap some photos and watch him eat a few fresh veggies. Te name two-toed sloth comes from the fact that he has two “toes” on his front feet and three toes on the back. Tey look more like long talons than toes. His toes are also double-jointed, and he can move them in any direction, which helps him move quickly when necessary. Mary vouched for the fact that he can move when startled! He also has large canine teeth, My afternoon with Fernando By Mala Blomquist FERNANDO

SLOTH BACKSTAGE ADVENTURE WHEN Mondays 12:15 pm; this is a 45-minute tour and for only up to five guests WHERE Phoenix Zoo 455 N. Galvin Pkwy., Phoenix COST $99 per person; children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by a paid person 16 years of age or older. INFORMATION phoenixzoo.org/visit/tours/

which serve as his biggest defense against predators, and he’s good at camoufaging himself too, and being still, so most times a predator won’t even notice him perched in a tree.

“He’s a vegetarian,” says Mary. “In the wild, they’ll eat some insects and grubs too, but he doesn’t seem to like them.” He takes a few bites of carrot during our encounter before having to rest again. Mary says they put out food for him to consume at night.

Fernando is equipped for the nightlife with tiny pupils that are don’t work well in bright light but give him an advantage under cover of darkness. He also uses his large (and really cute!) nose to navigate and fnd food. One thing we all noticed is that he doesn’t have an odor like many wild animals do. His hair is very coarse, and Mary explained that it is an adaptation to his environment. Algae grows quickly inside the hair, and there is a moth that is attracted to the algae, so in the wild sloths become their own microhabitat. Sloths also only “do their business” once every 7 to 10 days due to their slow metabolism and the fact that they do everything upside down. Tey also don’t consume much water, getting it instead from the leaves and plants in their environment.

“When they go to the bathroom in the wild, they go down to the ground and dig a hole by a tree,” says Mary. “Tey then defecate and urinate and climb back up. So they are providing a lot of nutrients for that tree. Tey play an important role in the ecosystem.” Fernando has a large habitat with access to indoor and outdoor areas. Tere are two large boxes in each of these areas that he spends most of his time inside. “Tese boxes were made specifcally for him,” says Mary. “Te top pole is so that he always has something to hold onto. Sloths always

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have to have their hand or foot on something; they won’t just lay down fat. It’s a security thing for them.”

Another reason for the box is that if they have to move him for any reason, they can put in an insert and pick the box up.

“He’s so sweet, but if you try to pick him up or move him, he will bite with those big teeth,” says Mary. “Although he’s really nice, and we can hand feed him, we don’t try to pick him up or manipulate him too much.”

Luckily for all of us, sloths in captivity can live into their 20s, and since Fernando was only about a year old when he came to Arizona, we have a lot of years ahead to enjoy him.

And if you’re wondering, he arrived with that name, although they had nicknamed him Fern in Baltimore. Mary says, “We like to use his whole name.” Once you meet him, I think you’ll agree; his name suits him.