Slow Loris

Fascinating facts about the Slow Loris

• Measuring just 27-38 cm long and weighing 599-685 g, the Sunda slow loris packs a surprisingly hefty bite into a body no bigger than a small cat. Yet most of its day is spent refueling on sugary tree fluids, 34.9% of its time sipping phloem sap, another 31.7% licking nectar-producing flowers, and 22.5% munching fruit. This high-energy diet balances its unusually low metabolic rate, letting it survive on scant calories while staying motionless in the canopy.
• Despite living in dense rainforests, Sunda slow lorises are almost lone wanderers, a study found they spend only 8% of their active time near any other loris. Their home ranges overlap just 0.004-0.25 km², and when territories do intersect they form tiny spatial groups of one male, one female and up to three youngsters.
• Every Sunda slow loris carries a hidden weapon: toxic oil from elbow glands that coats its fur when it grooms with its toothcomb. When threatened it can bite, roll into a ball exposing the poison, or simply drop from a branch. Traders often remove its teeth to make it "safer" as a pet, but that procedure leads to infections that kill up to 90% of the animals and makes any future release impossible. The oil itself is strong enough to kill an adult human if not treated properly.
• The Sunda slow loris is officially listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List, and in June 2007 it was moved from CITES Appendix II to the stricter Appendix I, banning international trade. Yet the animal remains one of the most abundant primate species on sale in Indonesian pet markets, where demand drives illegal capture, tooth-removal, and a cascade of mortality.
• A single baby is born after a long 192-day pregnancy, and the infant clings to its parents for up to 27 months before venturing out on its own.

Sources

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

• Wikipedia

At a glance

About the Slow Loris

In the misty, moonlit forests of Southeast Asia, the slow loris emerges as a creature of enchanting gentleness, its large, round eyes shining like lanterns in the darkness as it navigates the treetops with a deliberate, almost meditative slowness. With a soft, furry coat and a tiny, button nose, this diminutive primate moves through the world with a quiet, unassuming air, its slow, deliberate movements a testament to its unique, laid-back character. As it reaches out a slender hand to pluck a juicy insect from the air, the slow loris embodies a tranquil, unhurried existence, a true marvel of evolutionary adaptation.

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