Loris

Loris, small, shy primate notable for its huge eyes, slow and deliberate movements, and nocturnal habits. Lorises are native to India and Southeast Asia, where they typically inhabit rain forests.

Lorises have short, dense, woolly fur, generally pale gray to reddish brown on the back, and white or buff underneath. Their large, forward-directed, staring eyes are accentuated by a surrounding ring of dense dark fur divided by a central white stripe. The slow loris of eastern India, Malaysia, Sumatra, Java, and the southern Philippines is about 26 to 38 cm (about 10 to 15 in) long. The slender loris of southern India and Sri Lanka is smaller with long, thin legs. Lorises are essentially tailless. The fingers and toes are elongated and have flattened nails. The exception is the second toe of each foot, which is short and terminates in a “toilet” claw, so called because it is used with the “dental comb” formed by the forward-slanting lower front teeth to groom the fur.

Lorises live in trees and rarely, if ever, descend to the ground. They generally move slowly but can move very quickly when striking to kill their prey. They climb by grasping branches with their opposable thumbs and big toes. Three limbs are usually in firm contact with a branch before the fourth is carefully released to seek a new hold. Lorises feed mainly on insects, but they will also eat lizards, seeds, and fruit.

Lorises are preyed upon by snakes and other nocturnal predators, but their slow movement makes them difficult to detect. Some species produce a toxin from a gland located on the arm that apparently repels predators when mixed with saliva. Mothers cover their babies with saliva before leaving them alone, probably to protect against predators. Lorises may also lick the arm gland and then deliver the toxin when they bite. Habitat destruction poses a threat to the survival of lorises. The slender loris has been listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Scientific classification: Lorises belong to the family Loridae. The slow loris is classified as Nycticebus coucang, and the slender loris as Loris tardigradus.