Red Slender Loris
|
|
| Red Slender Loris Conservation status: Endangered | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||
| Binomial name | ||||||||||||||
| Loris tardigradus Linneaus, 1758 |
The Red Slender Loris (Loris tardigradus) is a small, nocturnal prosimian native to India and Sri Lanka. They eat insects and occasionally other invertebrates, though they also feed on berries.
This loris is a small, slender, cute looking primate with big eyes. Long limbs, a well developed index finger, large ears and the absence of tail are some of its distinctie characteristics. Its body has a dark grey colour with a sprinkling of silver hair.
They form 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. Lorises also groom each other, and play at wrestling. They may spend several hours at a time together, engaging in such social activities.
Female Red Slender Lorises are dominant. This is unusual for prosimians, and surprised researchers.
These animals mate while hanging upside down from branches. Lorises in captivity will not breed if no suitable branch is available. One or two young are born at a time.
Human intereference, killing for its supposedly medicinal use in eye diseases and trapping for use as an experimental animal in research instituion, etc. have severely depleted its population.
Reference
External links
Stunning photos of Slender Loris (http://www.arkive.org/species/GES/mammals/Loris_tardigradus_and_Loris_lydekkerianus/)da:Slanklori de:Schlanklori