Red Slender Loris

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Red Slender Loris

Conservation status

Endangered (IUCN)

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Primates
Family:	Lorisidae
Genus:	Loris
Species:	L. tardigradus

Binomial name

Loris tardigradus
(Linneaus, 1758)

The Red Slender Loris (Loris tardigradus) is a small, nocturnal prosimian native to the Rainforests of India and Sri Lanka. Its body length on average is 7-10 in. (17.5-26 cm), with an average weight of a mere 3-13 oz.(85-350g). It eats insects, lizards, bird eggs, and occasionally other invertebrates, though they also feed on berries, leaves, and buds.

This loris is a small, slender primate with big forward facing eyes. These eyes are used for precise depth perception. The loris has a four way grip on each foot. The big toe opposes the other 4 toes for a pincer like grip; this slender loris can even sleep holding onto branches. Long limbs, a well developed index finger, large ears and the absence of tail are some of its other distinctive characteristics. Its body has a dark grey colour with a sprinkling of silver hair. They have a dark face mask with cantral pale stripe, much like the slow lorises.

It forms small social groups, containing adults of both sexes as well as young animals. Typically, the adults hunt separately during the night, and the groups gather during the day to sleep. It makes its own nests out of leaves, or find hollows of trees to live in or a similar secure place. This species takes part in mutual grooming each other, and also plays at wrestling. It may spend several hours at a time in the social groups, engaging in such activities.

Female Red Slender Lorises are dominant. This is unusual for prosimians, and surprised researchers. The female reaches her sexual maturity at 10 months and is receptive to the male twice a year. This species mates while hanging upside down from branches; individuals in captivity will not breed if no suitable branch is available. The gestation period is 166-169 days after which the female will bear 1-2 young which feed from her for just 6-7 months.

The Slender Loris is an endangered species. They are widely trapped and killed for use in supposed remedies for eye diseases and also for use as laboratory animals leading to reductions in wild populations. Habitat destruction is also a major threat.

Two subspecies have been identified, L. t. tardigradus and L. t. nycticeboides; both are assessed endangered.

[edit] Popular Culture

The Red Slender Loris makes an appearance as the pet of a German SS Officer in Come and See, a critically-acclaimed World War II film by Russian director Elem Klimov.

[edit] References

Participants of CBSG CAMP workshop: Status of South Asian Primates (March 2002) (2004). Loris tardigradus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 09 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is endangered
S.M.Nair (English edition); Translated by O.Henry Francis (1999). Endangered Animals of India and their conservation (In Tamil). National Book Trust.
Groves, Colin (16 November 2005). in Wilson, D. E., and Reeder, D. M. (eds): Mammal Species of the World, 3rd edition, Johns Hopkins University Press, 122. ISBN 0-801-88221-4.