Philippine Slow Loris

Fascinating facts about the Philippine Slow Loris

• Weighing just 265-300 grams (9.3-10.6 oz), the Philippine slow loris is among the tiniest of its genus, yet it can grow as heavy as 700 grams (25 oz) in rare cases. Its body length averages 274.2 mm (10.80 in) and its skull measures 54.5-56.5 mm, placing it squarely between the pygmy and Sunda slow lorises.
• The loris lives low in the forest, preferring elevations of just 35-100 m (115-328 ft) in primary and secondary lowland forest, gardens, and plantations. Such narrow altitude limits mean it depends on coastal and low-lying habitats that are rapidly being cleared for palm oil. When those lowlands disappear, the species loses the very niche it has evolved to occupy, pushing its already sparse populations toward local extinction.
• Field work shows just 12 sightings in 75 days at Sabangau National Park, all high up in the canopy at 15-20 m (49-66 ft). Another survey in Wehea Forest recorded a single individual at 30 m (98 ft) across a 30 km² (12 sq mi) area. These numbers illustrate how sparsely the loris is distributed.
• The IUCN recorded a >30 % drop in slow loris numbers between roughly 1984 and 2008, driven by pet-trade harvesting and habitat loss. Because the former Bornean slow loris complex was split into four species in 2013, each new species, including the Philippine slow loris, now faces a higher extinction risk than the older, broader assessment suggested.
• A specialized brachial gland on the elbow secretes a clear, pungent oil that the loris spreads on its toothcomb, turning its bite into a toxic weapon. This unique chemical defense deters predators and rivals.

Sources

Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.

• Wikipedia

At a glance

About the Philippine Slow Loris

In the misty, moonlit forests of the Philippines, the slow loris emerges as a phantom, its large, round eyes gleaming like lanterns in the darkness as it navigates the treetops with a deliberate, almost meditative slowness. With a gentle, almost ethereal quality to its movements, this nocturnal primate weaves a silent path through the branches, its soft, woolly fur blending seamlessly into the dappled shadows. As it pauses to survey its surroundings, the slow loris's very stillness seems to embody the quiet, unhurried essence of the forest itself.

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