Slow loris facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Slow loris |
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| Sunda slow loris Nycticebus coucang | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Primates |
| Suborder: | Strepsirrhini |
| Family: | Lorisidae |
| Genus: | 'Nycticebus' |
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| Distribution of Nycticebus red = N. pygmaeus; blue = N. bengalensis; brown = N. bancanus, N. borneanus, N. coucang, N. javanicus, N. kayan & N. menagensis | |
Slow lorises are the genus Nycticebus, nocturnal species of strepsirrhine primates. They live in southeast Asia and nearby areas.
There are about eight species: the Sunda slow loris (N. coucang), Bengal slow loris (N. bengalensis), pygmy slow loris (N. pygmaeus), Javan slow loris (N. javanicus), Philippine slow loris (N. menagensis), Bangka slow loris (N. bancanus), Bornean slow loris (N. borneanus), and Kayan River slow loris (N. kayan).
The group's closest relatives are the slender lorises of southern India and Sri Lanka. Their next closest relatives are the African lorisids, the pottos, false pottos, and angwantibos. They are less closely related to the remaining lorisoids (the various types of galago), and more distantly to the lemurs of Madagascar. Their evolutionary history is uncertain: their fossil record is patchy and molecular clock studies have given various results.
Slow lorises eat insects, small birds and reptiles, eggs, fruits, gums, nectar and some vegetation. A 1984 study of the Sunda slow loris found its diet was 71% fruit and gums, and 29% insects and other animal prey. A more detailed study of another Sunda slow loris population in 2002 and 2003 showed different dietary proportions: 43.3% gum, 31.7% nectar, 22.5% fruit, and just 2.5% arthropods and other animal prey.
The secretion of venom from the brachial gland of captive slow lorises is similar to the allergen in cat dander, so the secretions may merely elicit an allergic reaction, not toxicosis. Loris bites cause a painful swelling, and the single case of human death reported in the scientific literature was believed to have resulted from anaphylactic shock. Slow lorises (of the genus Nycticebus) are accepted as the only known venomous primate.
Images for kids
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The Kayan River slow loris (N. kayan) was distinguished from N. menagensis in 2012.
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Skull of the Sunda slow loris
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Coloration patterns around the eyes differ between the slender lorises (middle two) and the slow lorises (top and bottom).
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The eyes of slow lorises are large and have a reflective layer, called the tapetum lucidum, to help them see better at night.
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Infants are either parked on branches or carried by one of their parents while they forage.
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In Indonesia, slow lorises are called malu malu or "shy one" because they freeze and cover their face when spotted.
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Slow lorises have a special network of capillaries in their hands and feet that allow them to cling to branches for hours without losing sensation.
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Slow lorises are popular in the exotic pet trade, which threatens wild populations.
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Slow lorises have their front teeth cut or pulled before being sold as pets, a practice that often causes infection and death.
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