Pygmy Slow Loris
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| Pygmy Slow Loris[1] | ||||||||||||||
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| Nycticebus pygmaeus Bonhote, 1907 |
The Pygmy Slow Loris (Nycticebus pygmaeus) is a rare species of loris found in the tropical dry forests of Vietnam, Laos, China, and parts of Cambodia. About 72,000 of the creatures live in the wild, and approximately 200 are in captivity.[3]
This primate is a nocturnal animal and will eat fruit, insects, small mammals, slugs and snails. It can catch prey by licking a toxin that is released from the inside of its elbows and delivering the toxin via its teeth.
It is arboreal, crawling on branches, unnoticed as it quietly moves through the thick leaves of the subtropics. It lives together in small groups usually with 1-2 offspring.
Adults can grow to around 18-21cm long[4] and have virtually no tail. They weigh about 1 pound (450 grams)
It mates once every 12-18 months and will have 1-2 offspring after an average gestation period of 190 days. For the first few days, the young loris clings to belly of its mother. After 9 months the baby will be weaned and at that point the females will be at sexual maturity while the male reaches maturity between 17 to 20 months.
This loris was nearly wiped out during extensive burning, clearing and defoliating of forests in Vietnam during the Vietnam war.
[edit] References
- ^ 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, 122-123. ISBN 0-801-88221-4.
- ^ Eudey, A. & Members of the Primate Specialist Group (2000). Nycticebus pygmaeus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 2006-08-29.
- ^ Maryann Mott (2006-07-31). Photo in the News: Baby Loris Beefs Up in Zoo Nursery. National Geographic. Retrieved on 2006-08-01.
- ^ Pygmy slow loris. Bristol Zoo Gardens. Retrieved on 2006-08-01.
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