Introduction Slow lorises are a group of five species of strepsirrhine primates, which make up the genus Nycticebus. Found in South and Southeast Asia, they range from Bangladesh and Northeast India in the west to the Philippines in the east, and from the Yunnan province in China in the north to the island of Java in the south. Although many previous classifications recognized fewer species, five are now considered valid: the Sunda slow loris (N. coucang), Bengal slow loris (N. bengalensis), pygmy slow loris (N. pygmaeus), Javan slow loris (N. javanicus), and Bornean slow loris (N. enagensis). (Wiens 2002). All of these five speices are now enlisted as the top 25 endangered primates on the ICUN redlist. Taxonomy, Physical Characteristics & Locomotion Kingdom| Phylum | Class| Order| Family| Genus| Common name| Animalia| Chordata| Mammaalia| Primates| Lorisidae| Nycticebus | Slow loris| In general, they have a whitish strip between the eyes, starting from the forehead and continuing until the end of the nose. The head is round and the ears are hidden in thick fur. The tail is reduced to a stump and is also hidden in the fur. They have large eyes.
Their arms and legs are nearly equal in length, and their trunk is long, allowing them to twist and extend to nearby branches. The hands and feet of slow lorises have several adaptations that give them a pincer-like grip and enable them to grasp branches for long periods of time. Overall, N. pygmaeus is dull reddish, medium to dark brown and gray-brown with very thick fur, and is darker dorsally than ventrally. It is also important to remember however, that there are seasonal changes in pelage coloration in N. pygmaeus. Slow lorises have glands on their elbows that secrete a strong-smelling liquid used in communication. Madison). The slow loris bright orange ‘eye-shine’, i. e. the reflection of incident light from a powerful light-source like a strong torchlight from the eyes, is visible over a distance of several hundred meters. In lorisids, the two canines and four incisors of the lower jaw are pointed and almost horizontal. This dental structure, which is also found in all Malagasy lemurs, other than the aye-aye Daubentonia madagascariensis, has been termed ‘toothcomb’ or ‘toothscraper’. (Weins 2002). Slow lorises are slow and careful climbers. They hold onto branches with three of their four limbs.
To move between trees, they carefully grip the terminal branches of the nearby tree and pull themselves across the small gap. They will also grip branches with only their hind feet, lift themselves upright, and quickly departure forward with their hands to catch prey. Due to their slow movement, all lorises, including the slow lorises, have a specially adapted mechanism for defense against predation. Their slow, deliberate movement hardly disturbs the vegetation and is almost completely silent, therefore making their presence unnoticeable for the predator. (Ankel-Simmons 2007) Habitat The Slow Lorises are nocturnal and arboreal.
They are found in both primary and secondary disturbed forest. It needs arboreal connectivity (vines and lianas) due to its unique locomotive adaptations. It relies on sap and floral florescence and on gum and insects for food (ICUN). Considering the wide distribution of their species, slow lorises are found in a range of habitats including tropical rainforests to seasonal forests including tropical evergreen and semi-evergreen forests, seasonal wet evergreen, dry evergreen forest, mixed deciduous tropical forest, sub-tropical broadleaf hill forests, swamp forests, disturbed primary forests and logged forests. Wiens 2002). N. bengalensis prefers bamboo forest mixed with hardwood trees, farmbush and mangrove swamps, as well as peat swamp forest and low and tall interior forests while N. coucang is found in continuous canopy tropical rainforest. N. pygmaeus is found in bamboo forest mixed with hardwood trees, forest edge habitats, and dense scrub. The exact habitats of N. javanicus and N. c. menagensis are unknown (Madison) BEHAVIOUR Slow lorises (N. coucang) sleep during the day, rolled up in a ball in hidden parts of trees above the ground, often on branches, twigs, palm fronds. N. engalensis sleeps often in tree holes or in dense brush, while N. coucang do not. Individuals usually sleep alone but also occasionally sleep with other slow lorises, including other adults (Wiens 2002). Slow lorises have a toxic bite, a rare trait among mammals. The toxin is produced by licking a gland on their arm, and the secretion mixes with its saliva to activate it. Their toxic bite is a deterrent to predators, and the toxin is also applied to the fur during grooming as a form of protection for their infants. They move slowly and deliberately, making little or no noise, and when threatened, they freeze and become quiet.
Their only documented predators—apart from humans—include snakes, hawk-eagles and orangutans, although cats, civets and sun bears are suspected. Little is known about their social structure, but they are known to communicate by scent marking. Males are highly territorial. Slow lorises reproduce slowly, and the infants are initially parked on branches or carried by either parent. They are omnivores, eating small animals, fruit, tree gum, and other vegetation. (Ankel-Simmons 2007) CONSERVATION THREATS According to the ICUN Red List, the Slow lorises are declared as one of the top 25 endangered primates currently.
Slow lorises are also particularly vulnerable to habitat destruction and the felling of feed and sleeping trees causes habitat degradation and increased contact with people. Slash-and-burn cultivation is also a significant habitat threat in India, as is tea cultivation and other agricultural land use. Often human settlements follow these types of land use, inhibiting secondary growth. Alternate reasons for habitat destruction are logging, fuel-wood extraction, land use for paper production, and the construction of infrastructure.
In China, habitat destruction is also the biggest threat to resident slow lorises and suitable areas are often destroyed for cash crops such as rubber, sugarcane, and coffee growing. Sometimes slow lorisies are imported to alien spaces, when they are not familiar with the areas it becomes difficult to survive in unknown environments. Over large areas of their range, slow lorises are collected as pets and for illegal folk medicine. They are one of the most commonly traded protected primates in Southeast Asia. They are also hunted for meat at times, which contributes as a threat to their kind.
Even if the lorises are not desired locally, they are often collected in neighboring areas and imported. In China, slow lorises are eaten; the bones are used for medicinal uses, and the fur for local hunting bags. There is also evidence of illegal trade of their species as they are found in Indonesian and Cambodian markets for sale. In Vietnam, collection for medicinal purposes results in captured animals being dried or placed in rice wine. Adding to the threat of their removal from their habitats, slow lorises very often die from the stress of being held captive. (Madison)
