NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Hoffmann's Two-toed Sloth
Choloepus hoffmanni Peters, 1858
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
a 2-toed sloth at the Jaguar Rescue Centre in Costa Rica
Jsfouche · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Hoffmann's two-toed sloth (Choloepus hoffmanni), also known as the northern two-toed sloth, is a species of sloth from Central and South America. It is a solitary, largely nocturnal and arboreal animal, found in mature and secondary rainforests and deciduous forests. The common name commemorates the German naturalist Karl Hoffmann, who discovered the Hoffmann sloth.
Wikipedia contributors, Hoffmann's two-toed sloth; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T11:04:18.635225+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Choloepus hoffmanni Peters, 1858
- Name authority
- Peters, 1858
- Common name
- Hoffmann's Two-toed Sloth
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Pilosa
- Family
- Megalonychidae
- Genus
- Choloepus
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classMammalia Linnaeus, 1758
- subclassTheria Parker & Haswell, 1897
- infraclassEutheria Gill, 1872
- orderPilosa Flower, 1883
- suborderFolivora Delsuc, Catzeflis, Stanhope & Douzery, 2001
- familyMegalonychidae Ameghino, 1889
- genusCholoepus Illiger, 1811
- speciesCholoepus hoffmanni Peters, 1858
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Choloepus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Linnaeus's Two-toed SlothCholoepus didactylus (Linnaeus, 1758) | MegalonychidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
South America
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=624909 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:5XYGX. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.