Connecticut Sloth Becomes Star Thanks to 24 Hours a Day Live Stream

A Star is Born! According to WFSB, there is a Connecticut sloth becoming internet famous thanks to a 24 hour a day live feed.

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The sloth's name is Romeo and he calls the Connecticut Science Center his home.

The Science Center has a camera fixed on Romeo around the clock for you viewing pleasure.

You can see Romeo in the CT Science center's "Under the Canopy: Animals of the Rainforest" Exhibit.

Travel to the most diverse ecosystem on the planet at the Connecticut Science Center! Under the Canopy is an immersive and interactive exhibition introducing you to the fascinating world of rainforests. Learn about the rainforest’s unique plants and ecology as you encounter live animals that call these fantastic habitats home, including a sloth, boa constrictor, red-footed tortoise, and more. Uncover some of the biggest threats facing rainforests today through interactive discovery stations, dynamic displays, and engaging programming

Visit the CT Science Center at 250 Columbus Blvd in Hartford, CT. Learn more about Romeo, how to see him and how to donate to the center by going to https://ctsciencecenter.org/make-a-gift/

A star is born! Sloths are so hot right now and I hear great things about "the web" so the two together can only blow up. I can see it now, Romeo t-shirts, hats, Instagram page, foam fingers and key chains. I need to partner with the CT Science Center and start moving so merch.

When I decided to write about this, I reached out to my friend Jen "The Zookeeper" Kotkin who has been working with animals her entire adult life. Jen is our wildlife correspondent on the I-95 Morning Show. I asked her to share some Sloth Fun Facts, this is what she told me.

• All sloths have three toes in the back, but only two toes or three toes in the front, depending on the species.
• They are in the Xenarthra family, which means few or no teeth at all. Sloths generally only have four teeth. Two on top, and two on the bottom.
• His teeth are off alignment of each other, so that when they chew, they are constantly sharpening themselves. Very very very sharp teeth.
• People have hair that part in the middle of their head as the hair falls straight down a persons body. On a sloth, the part goes right up and down their belly. This is because they live their lives upside down, so when it rains, the rain falls right on their belly, and follows their hair off their backs, and down onto the ground! All of their organs are upside down as well!
• There are sloth moths and beetles that live in the fur to eat the algae that grows off of them. (They move so slowly, algae grows off of them!). This is called a symbiotic relationship. The Sloth benefits from these bugs.
• They only come down from their tree once a week to pee and poop. It takes him a full day to climb down the tree, and a full day to climb back up. Live in the trees for safety
• They do not like to be touched, they will strike out with their claws at you if you try and touch them. They are not mean, but because they live in the rain forest, it’s very rare that they come across people.
• They are excellent swimmers. The one that I worked with in captivity almost nailed me with her claws as I was cleaning her hanging perch. She crawled over to me upside down took her claw, and, like the matrix in slow motion, tried to Hook my head as I ducked

The information above was provided by I-95 Morning Show friend Jen "The Zookeeper" Kotkin. Below you can read more about Jen's qualifying background.

Jen has been immersed in the conservation & science education field for over 30 years.  While working as Director of Animal Care for The New Canaan Nature Center in Connecticut, she was responsible for the care of native wildlife and birds of prey, while teaching the public about the roles of these wild neighbors. While with the Bronx Zoo and Los Angeles Zoo, Jen’s main priority was the care of exotic hoofstock, again while teaching the public about the delicate balance of humans & habitats.

While working with a wildlife sanctuary in Half Moon Bay, CA, Jen played a major role in the wildlife training and handling of some 50 exotic species. Her major focus was creating curriculum for a variety of programs including at-risk and foster youth programming. These programs encompassed helping fragile children gain a sense of trust and worth while developing a healing relationship with the non releasable wildlife at the sanctuary.

Currently, Jen is the owner and sole proprietor of Jen Kotkin Pet Care, providing pet care as well as mental and physical exercise & stimulation for dogs, cats, horses, birds and more! 

Jen continues to create a variety of programs catered to the needs of many organizations. Her passion for teaching about the natural world to those around her is important, and hopes to ignite this spark for others, just as it did for her!

We talked about this on the Friday (3/24/23) edition of the I-95 Morning Show, listen below.

Want more CT News? Check out the Ethan, Lou & Large Dave Podcast on Apple and Spotify.