2-Toed Sloth Luigi Joins Mario, a Monkey, at Lincoln Park Zoo

(Jill Wagner / Lincoln Park Zoo)(Jill Wagner / Lincoln Park Zoo)

Chicago has a new set of Super Mario Bros.—just minus the hats and plus some fur.

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Luigi, a 1-year-old Hoffman’s two-toed sloth, is getting settled at his new home in Lincoln Park Zoo’s Helen Brach Primate House. His new roommates include Mario and Izabel, the zoo’s couple of pied tamarin monkeys.

Luigi was born Aug. 9, 2016 at the zoo’s Regenstein Small Mammal-Reptile House and recently moved in with his primate neighbors, creating another mixed-species exhibit that the zoo says provides a dynamic environment for the animals.

Mario and Izabel, Lincoln Park Zoo's pied tamarin monkeys. (Courtesy Lincoln Park Zoo)Mario and Izabel, Lincoln Park Zoo's pied tamarin monkeys. (Courtesy Lincoln Park Zoo)

The sloth is named after Carlo Luigi Guiseppe Bertero, a naturalist and botanist who in the 1800s studied the flora of Chile and Colombia, two countries that are home to the two-toed sloth, said Maureen Leahy, the zoo’s vice president of animal care and horticulture.

Luigi’s dad also bears reference to the Italian scholar: his name just happens to be Carlos.

Contact Alex Ruppenthal: @arupp [email protected] | (773) 509-5623


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