Slow Loris - The Poisonous Primate

Slow Loris - The Poisonous Primate

1. The more than passing resemblance of the slow loris to a teddy-bear is one of the main reasons for the species’ demise. Their beautiful, large eyes and gentle, ponderous way of moving around, mark these vulnerable animals out to many as something to be cuddled and owned.

2. There are five species found in South and Southeast Asia, Northeast India ,Philippines ,Yunnan province in China , and the island of Java. 

3. The five types of Lorises are; the Sunda slow Loris, Bengal slow Loris, pygmy slow Loris, Javan slow Loris, and Bornean slow Loris. 

4. Their closest relatives are the slender lorises, pottos, false pottos, and angwantibos. They are also closely related to the galago, as well as the lemurs of Madagascar.

5. Slow lorises have a round head, narrow snout and large eyes. Their arms and legs are almost equal in length. The hands and feet of slow lorises give them a pincer - like grip and help them grab branches for a long time. 

6. Slow lorises have needle-like teeth called dental combs or tooth combs on their lower jaw.

7. Slow lorises have a toxic (poisonous bite ), a rare thing among mammals. The toxin is produced by licking a gland on their arm, and the poison mixes with its spit to activate it. Their toxic bite helps keep predators away. They also apply the spit to the fur to help protect their babies. 

8. Fearing their painful and potentially poisonous bites (lorises are the only poisonous[differentiated from venomous] primates), traders crudely cut out the animals’ teeth, usually with wire cutters or nail clippers. If they manage to survive this hideous practice without fatal infection, the lack of their specialised toothcomb, necessary for feeding and grooming, means they can never be returned to the wild.

9. They move slowly (that’s why they all have slow in their name) making little or no noise, and when scared , they freeze. Their only predators - apart from humans - include snakes, hawk -eagles, and orangutans, although cats, civets and sun bears may be munching on them too.

10. They are known to communicate by rubbing their scent on things making a scent marking. 

11. Males are highly territorial , which means they defend their little area of the forest and the lorises don’t have babies often. But when they do have a baby, it is usually parked on a branch or can be carried by either mom or dad.

12. They are omnivores which means they eat things like insects, lizards, small birds and mammals, bird eggs, fruits, shoots, nectar and tree sap. 

13. All five species are listed as either "Vulnerable" or "Endangered" and are threatened by the wildlife trade and habitat loss. Demand from the exotic pet trade and local tribal traditional medicine practices have been the greatest cause for their decline. 

14. Belief about the supernatural powers of slow lorises, such as the legend that they have the ability to ward off evil spirits or cure wounds, has caused them to be captured or killed. Despite local laws that don’t allow the slow lorises to be captured or sold and don’t allow the selling of slow Loris products (you don’t even want to know about that) ,slow lorises are openly sold in animal markets in Southeast Asia and smuggled to other countries, such as Japan. 

15. They are popular as pets. But to be a good “pet” slow lorises have their teeth cut or pulled out. Then they usually die from the infection, blood loss or later by poor handling, and bad food.