Little slow loris. Slow lorises
Thick lorises (popularly known as lemur loris) are a genus of funny, big-eyed animals belonging to the order of wet-nosed primates, which are often mistakenly called lemurs. From a zoological point of view, this is incorrect, since they belong to the infaorder Lorisiformes, and not lemuriformes. In addition, lemurs, as is known, are a family of prosimians that live exclusively in the territory of Madagascar, and slow lorises are distributed quite far from them - in the South and South. East Asia. The main external feature that distinguishes lorises from lemurs is the absence of a long tail. They have it very small, reaching 1.5-2 cm. English speaking countries representatives of this genus are called “slow”, which is not at all surprising, because they are famous for their indifference to sudden movements.
Slow lorises are one of five genera of wild animals in the Loriaceae family, consisting of eight species, three of which have been formed quite recently. The main species include the following species: Bengal loris, slow loris, Javan loris, Kalimantan loris and dwarf or small slow loris. In 2013, the study of some individuals that previously belonged to the Kalimantan lorises allowed us to identify three more new species - N. borneanus, N. kayan and N. bancanus.
All representatives of the genus are included in the Red Book as vulnerable or endangered species. The export of slow lorises outside their native countries is prohibited by law and can result in fines and even imprisonment.
The habitat of rare animals extends from Bangladesh and Northeast India to the Philippines and from the Chinese province of Yunnan to the island of Java. They prefer tropical rainforests.
The size of slow lorises can vary depending on the species - body length ranges from 18 to 38 cm, and weight - from 300 grams to 1.5 kg. They are nocturnal animals, so nature has endowed them with large eyes with a reflective layer called tapetum, which allows them to see in the dark. The head is rounded, with a short muzzle. The eyes of all representatives of the genus are bordered by dark “glasses” and separated by a light stripe. Perhaps it is precisely because of this appearance, reminiscent of a clown mask, that scientists gave the animals the appropriate name - translated from Dutch “loeris” means “clown”. The fur of slow lorises is soft and dense, its color varies from grayish to yellow, on the abdomen hairline lighter. Another distinctive feature is a dark stripe running from the neck along the entire spine. The ears are small and round. The hind and forelimbs are well developed, almost equal in length. All toes of slow lorises have nails, with the exception of the second toes of the hind limbs, which are equipped with “cosmetic” claws intended for grooming.
Exotic representatives of the fauna world from Asia lead an arboreal lifestyle in natural environment habitat, practically without descending to the ground. They move with the help of four limbs, moving from branch to branch or moving along them along their length. Animals are endowed with an unusually strong grip of their arms and legs, which does not weaken throughout the day. This feature is explained by the special structure blood vessels limbs, providing intensive blood circulation and metabolism in the muscles during the movement of the animal.
Slow lorises are nocturnal, spending most (more than 90%) of their active period alone. Sometimes they can form pairs or small unstable groups. They spend the day curled up in a fork of tree branches and holding them tightly with their paws, or they are located in tree hollows and other suitable shelters that lie at a height. One slow loris can have more than 60 favorite places for relax. With the onset of darkness, the animals become animated and go hunting. They slowly travel along vines and tree branches, clinging to them with their fingers. To mark their territory, males regularly mark its boundaries, not forgetting to update these scent marks. While searching for food, they may accidentally encounter representatives of their own species, with whom their individual areas are adjacent. During such meetings, the animals touch each other, engage in mutual grooming, or communicate with each other through various poses. However, most often they receive information about a congener they have encountered through hearing and smell.
Compared to other mammals of similar size, slow lorises have an extremely slow metabolism, resulting in a very leisurely lifestyle. Their main feature is the smooth and somewhat slow nature of their movements, which helps them quietly sneak up on prey or hide from enemies. True, when lorises are not afraid, they are able to move quite quickly - for example, walking around the territory and leaving marks.
Depending on the time of year, the animals' diet consists of varying proportions of fruits, plants, tree resin, bird eggs, nectar, insects, terrestrial mollusks and small vertebrates. Animals catch insects with one or both hands, often grabbing branches with their hind limbs for better balance. To the main natural enemies Slow lorises include orangutans, pythons and changeable crested eagles.
Males reach sexual maturity at the age of 17-20 months, females at 18-24 months. Pregnancy lasts 180-190 days, after which the female gives birth to one or two cubs. Newborn lorises hold tightly to their mother’s fur for the first 14 days. Sometimes the female carefully removes the baby and places it in a hollow tree or a secluded fork in the branches, where it sits quietly and unnoticed while the mother forages for food. In case of discomfort, the cub emits a loud chirp, and the female hurries to him. It is believed that in wildlife the male does not take part in raising the offspring, but in captivity they can take cubs and carry them on themselves until they get hungry and want to return to the nurse. After 5-7 months, the baby is separated from the mother’s care, and at the age of 1-1.5 years he becomes old enough to live independently. In captivity, the life expectancy of representatives of the Loriidae family is 20-25 years.
Thick lorises are not the most talkative primates - they use sounds mainly to signal aggression, anxiety, and for communication between the cub and mother.
Despite the fact that international trade in slow lorises is prohibited and threatens to reduce their population, poachers continue to actively catch and export them for the purpose of selling them as pets. At the same time, transportation of animals takes place, to put it mildly, not in the most favorable conditions and many of them die on the road. Mass deforestation also poses a serious threat. tropical forests, whose inhabitants are these arboreal animals. The World Wildlife Fund is making every effort to increase the population of slow lorises, promoting their breeding in reserves and in captivity.
Is probably the most exotic pet domestic apartments from all possible. This extraordinary creature captivates with its bizarre appearance, because any lover of domestic animals will be happy to hold such a soft fluffy ball with large expressive eyes.
However, few people think that living creatures are different, and keeping such an exotic animal as a lemur requires serious preparation. Today we will analyze Loriids as a taxon, understand their habits, character, and also go through the varieties.
In fact, to be very precise, the loris is not quite a lemur. These animals belong to the suborder of wet-nosed primates, and the Loriidae family itself has for some time now been included in a separate infraorder of Lorisiformes, on equal rights in world taxonomy with lemur-like animals. Here is a clarification for lovers of scientific accuracy.
However, the loris lemur has been a related taxon for so long that we will no longer focus our attention on this detail, and will sometimes call this primate in the old fashioned way a lemur. That's what we agreed on.
Habitat
is a pronounced endemic of its habitat.
The native home of this animal is the tropical forests of Southeast Asia; they live mainly in the countries of the Indochinese Peninsula, and some species can also live in India and on the island. Sri Lanka.
Most of the world population of these animals lives in Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia, and Cambodia.
Appearance
Well, there's a lot to talk about here. This ex-lemur - real star television screens, not to mention the attention that this intricate appearance attracts funny animal among a public unaccustomed to such exoticism.
This animal resembles a cross between a monkey, a sloth and a tarsier. Many people mistakenly believe that the loris is a prosimian. Other “experts” believe that lorises, as well as indris, tupai, tarsiers, arms and galagos are all representatives of the same family.
Yes, everyone except the tupaya is primate. However, they all have significant differences from each other, both external and behavioral. Although galagos are indeed extremely close to this animal in anatomy, as well as appearance. However, we digress.
So what does this little big-eyed primate look like? This is a small animal whose weight, as a rule, ranges from 250 g to 1.5 kg. depending on the variety. The colors of different types of these animals may also differ. But we will still give a generalized description.
This primate usually has a brownish-red coat color. It has very tenacious limbs adapted for climbing trees. The animal is helped in this by thin fingers, which are equipped with sharp claws. But there was no luck with the loris tail.
On the head of the animal there is a pair of small ears and a pair of very large eyes. The eyes of a loris are a separate matter. This one is the same business card looks like the spectacled pattern of a cobra or the luxurious tail of a peacock.
The eyes of this primate are really very large, round, like 2 saucers. Moreover, there is a dark edging around them, forming glasses. This gives the animal a pitiful appearance, perhaps stimulating the desire to have such a charmer at home as a pet among lovers of cute exotics.
Well, the description of this little primate would be incomplete if we forgot to mention its very sharp teeth. This ex-lemur has needle-sharp teeth, which he uses when asserting his rights to territory or a female.
Varieties
The Loriidae family is not as diverse as other taxonomic groups of the primate order.
Today there are only 3 main types of Loriaceae, namely:
- Slender lorises.
- Slow loris.
- Small slow lorises.
The slender loris is the smallest of all. The length of its body is 16-22 cm, the tail is 5 cm, and its weight is only 250-300 g. This animal is not more squirrels in size, but it is the same primate as its larger relatives. However, it is not smaller in size than other Loriids, this is a fact.
The habitat of these big-eyed babies is the evergreen tropical forests of India, as well as about. Sri Lanka.
This species has several subspecies. Namely, there are gray and red slender lorises. The gray subspecies has a characteristic ash color, while the red subspecies differs from other varieties in its reddish-beige color.
The small slow loris, or slow loris, as it is also called, will be larger in size than the slender loris. Their body length ranges from 18-25 cm, and their weight can reach 700 g.
This primate lives in bamboo and tropical forests Thailand, Vietnam and Laos. This slow loris leads the same nocturnal lifestyle as its other brothers. The small loris is beige in color over most of its body with a rufous rump. Otherwise, this pygmy loris differs little in general external features from other varieties.
The great slow loris is a real giant next to its fellow taxon. These big-eyed animals can reach 20-36 cm in length without a tail, and the weight of some individuals can be 1.2-1.5 kg.
Slow loris and, even more so, the red slender loris next to such a relative can feel like dwarfs, being almost half the size of the largest representative of the family.
Such animals live in almost all countries of the Indochina Peninsula, as well as in Bangladesh, India and even in the western part of the Philippine Island.
If we do not say a bad word about other animals of this taxon regarding their behavior, then such a “monkey” can pose a danger to humans. When irritated, this primate uses its sharp teeth, which, moreover, are equipped with a kind of poison. Such is the poisonous loris, as it turns out.
This poisonous species has several subspecies. We will focus on just one. The Javan slow loris is notable because it is on the verge of extinction, including due to the capture of these animals for the purpose of selling them as pets.
Lifestyle and behavior
Now let's talk about the character traits of these animals, and also get acquainted with their way of life in the wild.
All species and subspecies of this family, be it the Javan loris or the red slender loris, are endemic to the evergreen tropical forests of South and East Asia, as we have already said.
They prefer to live at heights, among the treetops. These primates practically do not descend to the ground at all. These are exclusively arboreal creatures, well adapted to the habitat that nature has assigned them.
In some ways, these animals resemble sloths. They are also slow and unhurried, never in a hurry.
To move along branches and tree trunks, these animals are equipped with very strong limbs, as well as tenacious toes. The owners of these animals know very well that removing a loris that has grabbed onto something is the most difficult task.
They are also exclusively nocturnal and twilight creatures, whose eyes are perfectly adapted for night vision and are not at all designed for daytime vigil.
In the light of day, as soon as it dawns, these animals hide in the dense foliage among the branches and go to bed. An excellent night light for these high-altitude climbers are hollow trees or abandoned bird nests, where it is quite possible to find a sleeping animal curled up.
With the onset of dusk, the animal wakes up, washes itself, and behaves actively, as they say. Further, when night darkness reigns over the forest, the animal goes in search of food.
The diet of this primate includes plant foods with some inclusions of protein foods. Regardless of the species, be it a large Javan loris or a smaller red slender loris, this animal happily eats all kinds of fruits, but does not disdain to feast on bird eggs, and can catch and eat a small lizard or even a bird.
This lemur's diet also includes insects, including poisonous caterpillars and beetles, as well as the resin of some trees.
Lemur loris at home
A domestic lemur is nonsense for a naturalist, but quite normal for a simple lover of glamorous exoticism. Let's say it right away and directly.
Despite the fact that primates different types, especially from the Loriaceae family, are often bought and kept at home; such a purchase cannot be called otherwise than inappropriate. Not to mention the moral component of the issue.
Of hundreds of lovers, only a few have everything necessary knowledge how to properly care for such a pet, and what the consequences of improper maintenance and handling of a toothy primate are for both the owner and the animal itself.
We have already mentioned more than once such a species as the Javan loris. This is not just one of the large varieties of its taxon, but a species officially classified by the world conservation community as an endangered animal species.
This endemic inhabitant of the island. Java has been subjected to barbaric human persecution for many years. After all, it was the Javan loris that for a long time was the same loris in a cage, imprisoned in captivity due to its attractive and funny appearance.
Which, together with the destruction of the habitat in its homeland, has now led to such a disastrous state of affairs for this species.
Nycticebus
According to 2010 data, the genus Nycticebus consists of four types:
1. Pygmy loris, ( Nycticebuspygmaeus)
2. Javan lory ( Nycticebusjavanicus)
3. Slow loris ( Nycticebuscoucang)
4. Bengal loris ( Nycticebusbengalensis)
The Javan loris was once considered a subspecies, but was later classified as a separate species. These prosimians live in different parts South-East Asia.
Habitats of the genusNycticebushighlighted in red. IllustrationPrimateInfoNet.
Slow lorises are tree-dwelling primates that walk along branches on four legs. They are omnivorous and nocturnal. The main diet of the loris is plants and insects. Slow lorises sleep in daytime, curled up in a ball in the trees high above the ground. The predators that pose the main threat to their lives are pythons ( Pythonreticulatus), crested eagles ( Spizaetuscirrhatus) and orangutans ( Pongopygmaeus). The metabolism of slow lorises is slightly slower than that of mammals of the same size (Gron, 2009).
Colors and patterns of species and subspecies Nycticebus. Illustration taken from Loris Conservation website.
Different sides of toxicity
The very concept of “poisonous” can have two cardinal meanings: different meanings. (IN English language The words “venomous” and “poisonous” can be used interchangeably in speech, but they do not mean the same thing at all). Thus, there are toxins that are secreted by a special organ of the animal and become poisonous only when they enter the victim’s body, for example, with a bite ( Englishvenom). They should be distinguished from ready-made poison, which some animals initially produce using special organs. Such poison enters the victim’s body through inhalation or contact with a poisonous animal ( Englishpoison).
Blue dart frog ( Dendrobatesazureus) is an example of an individual whose mucus contains strong poison, while the spectacled snake ( Najanaja) is considered poisonous due to its deadly venomous bite.
Brachial gland of the slow loris
The flexor or ventral surface of the elbow of the slow loris has a slightly protruding, barely visible knob, which is the brachial gland (Hageye et al., 2006; Kranee et al., 2003). Observations of slow lorises living in captivity have shown that when the animal is disturbed by being handled, it secretes about 10 microliters (μL) of a clear, strong-smelling liquid in the form of apocrine sweat (exudate) from the brachial gland. Usually at this moment both females and males of the slow loris take a defensive pose. They tilt their heads down and lift their front paws up, rubbing secretions from the brachial gland into their head and neck. Loris often lick the brachial gland and rub their head against it. The brachial gland of lorises begins to fully function when they reach the age of 6 weeks (Hageyetal., 2006).
The illustration shows the brachial gland (dark area) on the ventral surface of the foot of a slow loris. Drawing by Helga Schulze (Kraneetal., 2003).
Brachial gland secretion and allergenFeld 1
The brachial gland produces an allergen similar to that produced by cats (Hageye et al., 2006; Kranee et al., 2003). This brachial gland secretion is similar to that of a cat not only in sequence, but also in the structure of the heterodimeric disulfide bond. Fel D 1 allergen is found mainly in the saliva and sebaceous glands of domestic cats, Feliscatus. Cat allergy sufferers react to 5 allergens produced by domestic cats, including Fel D 1. However, the biological function of Fel D 1 is still currently unknown (Grönlund et al., 2010).
So are slow lorises actually poisonous?
To answer this question, let's remember once again the difference in the definition of the word “poisonous”. A venomous animal injects toxins into the victim's body when it bites. An animal whose body produces toxins can only be potentially poisonous if those toxins enter the victim's body through inhalation or absorption. Literary sources suggest that people become victims of loris venom due to a bite, and not due to the fact that the venom enters the human body through contact with the primate. So are lorises poisonous? Not really.
Slow lorises have needle-sharp teeth on the lower jaw. Given the constant habit of licking the brachial gland, it is not surprising that the sharp teeth and secretions of the brachial gland are related to the poisoning of unsuspecting victims. However, this is not the main thing.
The sharp tooth comb, which can look quite menacing, serves mainly for grooming, and therefore its function is less sinister than imagined. The bite of the slow loris is so painful precisely because of the sharpness of its teeth.
Illustration of slow loris teeth taken from the websiteLorisConservation. The tooth ridge is located on the lower jaw and is shaped like a shovel.
According to Wilde's (1972) reports, victims of slow loris bites go into anaphylactic shock (an extreme allergic reaction) followed by hematuria. Despite this, they always recover. There are no clinical signs toxic substances in the saliva of slow lorises, which could support the myth that they are poisonous (Wilde, 1972).
There is a known case in which a 34-year-old woman, 19 weeks pregnant, was bitten by a pygmy loris in the zoo where she worked. She only complained of a sharp pain in the place where she was bitten. None allergic reactions Moreover, anaphylactic shock was not observed (Kalimullah et al., 2008).
Reports of slow loris bites are not often accompanied by photographs. However, based on such reports, it can be concluded that the loris' bite is not at all poisonous (Kalimullah et al., 2008; Wilde, 1972). Due to the similarity of the loris brachial gland secretion allergen and the Feld 1 allergen of domestic cats, the anaphylactic shock described by victims of loris bites is probably nothing more than a reaction to the secretion allergen.
What is the function of the brachial gland in this case?
Hagey (2007) states that the brachial gland is used as an olfactory signal to indicate home and territory boundaries. Most nocturnal primates rely on their sense of smell, and the slow loris is no exception. Because the brachial secretion is a response to stress or danger, its function may be to deter predators, warn other lorises of danger, or both (Hagey et al., 2006).
I look forward to studying more of these prosimians and the properties of their brachial gland secretions. A much more in-depth study of the evidence from loris bites is necessary in order to clarify the effect of the secretion of the brachial gland on humans.
Are slow lorises really venomous?
Listliterature :
Gron, K.J. 2009. Primate Factsheets: Slow Loris (Nycticebus) Taxonomy, Morphology & Ecology. Prime Info Net Retrieved October 19, 2010
Grönlund, H. Saarne, T. Gafvelin, G. van Hage, M. 2010. The Major Cat Allergen, Fel d 1, in Diagnosis and Therapy. International Archives of Allergy and Immunology 151(4): 265-274.
Hagey, L.R. Fry, B. G. Fitch-Snyder, H. 2007. Talking Defensively: A Dual Use for the Brachial Gland Exudate of Slow and Pygmy Lorises. Primate Anti-Predatory Strategies 2: 253-272
Krane, S. Itagaki, Y. Nakanishi, K. Weldon, P.J. 2003. “Venom” of the slow loris: sequence similarity of prosimian skin gland protein and Fel d 1 cat allergen. Naturwissenschaften 90: 60-62.
Kalimullah, E.A. Schmidt, S.M. Schmidt, MJ. Lu, J.J. 2008. Beware the Pygmy Slow Loris? Clinical Toxicology 46(7): 602.
Wilde, H. 1972. Anaphylactic Shock Following Bite by a ‘Slow Loris’, Nycticebus coucang. The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 21(5): 592-594.
The small slow loris, or, as it is also called, the pygmy loris, is a popular exotic animal, a primate from the Loriidae family. He leads a solitary lifestyle, is quite slow and unpretentious in food, and also has the cutest appearance. But is he the angel he may appear to be?
The little slow loris is the only venomous primate in the world. He stores his weapons in his elbow joints, and in case of danger he licks his paws and then bites the enemy. But, in fairness, it should be noted that domesticated pygmy lorises practically do not use their poison. Most likely, they need this adaptation only in the wild, and only when there is nowhere to go and they have to resort to desperate measures.
However, there are probably people who are capable of bringing this carefree, sweet and calm animal to the point where poison seems to him the only way to protect himself. But that’s not about that now.
Lorik, a nocturnal animal, wakes up at 6-7 pm and stays awake until sunrise. On the one hand, this is good - while you are at work, your pet will not howl out of boredom throughout the house, thereby annoying the neighbors, but, on the other hand, it is bad - there is not much time left to communicate with the loris. Night look The life of the animal will not affect your sleep, because lorises are quiet, slow and neat little animals.
When taking a lorik into your home, you need to clearly understand that he will not bring you slippers in the morning, will not respond to your name, follow all kinds of commands and meow cutely. But at the same time, he does not need to be taught to go to the litter box and walk every morning, and he also does not chew wires.
Some general information
The little slow loris is not a lemur, as many still mistakenly believe, but a primate from the Loriidae family. In the wild, it lives in Southeast Asia - in the forests of Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.
As a rule, one baby is born in a family at a time, although there are exceptions in the form of twins. As soon as it is born, the baby loris literally clings to the fur on its mother’s chest and spends there from 35 to 50 days. The father does not take part in the upbringing of his offspring.
As for the menu that the loris provides for itself in the wild, it consists mainly of fruits, flowers, nectars and insects. The lorik also loves tree resin and consumes poisonous invertebrates on holidays.
Lories, in addition to being nocturnal, also lead a solitary lifestyle. Their only entertainment is to sprinkle urine on their hands and go for a walk, leaving behind a scent that attracts the attention of their relatives.
Loria exotics at home
A loris will not be able to live like a cat or a dog in an open space. He needs a separate enclosure in which he can recreate natural conditions life of the animal - equip it with branches, a house, and maintain the necessary microclimate.
The climate is one of the reasons why it is necessary to choose an enclosure rather than a cage for the pygmy loris: if the animal accidentally gets into a draft or lives in dampness, it will quickly get sick. The main conditions for keeping loris are air humidity of 80% and air temperature of approximately 28-30 degrees.
Now about nutrition: every day in the evening you will offer the lori a fruit and vegetable salad and something from animal protein. Variety is key here. If today you gave a set of apples, bananas, carrots and grapes, then tomorrow you will cut cucumber, pear, kiwi and raspberries. If the protein used today was boiled quail eggs, then tomorrow it should be a cricket, and the day after tomorrow it should be a zoophobe. By the way, you can’t go crazy with the latter – it’s very fatty, just like flour beetle. Loris should have constant and free access to fresh water.
As for care. These animals cannot swim, and you cannot bathe them. They lick themselves like cats, and therefore fur often accumulates in their stomachs. This is not a problem: there is a special paste for dissolving hair, which is sold in almost every pet store.
If your animal gets into trouble somewhere and you can’t avoid washing it, carefully, holding it near or over a bowl of water, wash your pet. But then dry it thoroughly with a towel.
When you have the whole family gathered at home in the evening, you can let the lorik wander around the house, but don’t expect it to come into your arms on the very first day - this takes time. Try to give your pet a treat from your hand, pet it, scratch it, but never forcefully tear it away from the branches. Over time, the loris will get used to you and will ask to be held in your arms.
(Loris), and the appearance of the animals matches their names. The largest is the fat Bengal loris ( Nycticebus bengalensis) - weighs more than two kilograms, and the smallest - the red slender loris - is only about 100 grams.
In India, loris are called “forest babies”, in Sumatra - “monkeys of the wind”, in Java - “moon-faced”. The "official" name for these animals, loris, comes from the old Dutch "loeris", meaning "clown". Since travelers who discovered the loris in 1770 compared it to a sloth for its leisurely movements, the adjective “slow” was assigned to the animal. To this day, representatives of the clan Nycticebus in English they are called "slow lorises".
Total to date in the subfamily Lorisinae There are 10 species. The closest relatives of the loris - potto and galago - live in Africa, while the lorises themselves are residents of Asia. For a long time little was known about these creatures, but over the past decades scientists have accumulated enough data to refute many of the rumors about lorises generated by traveler accounts and Aboriginal stories.
Observations of loris have shown that they are very active animals. The discoverers who compared loris to sloths described their behavior in daylight, but the loris' time comes at sunset. Thin lorises travel about a kilometer per night, thick ones - about five. The maximum recorded speed of loris movement is as much as 1.5 m/s! Lorises are designed to live in the canopy of trees - they are usually found at heights of up to 10 meters - and rarely end up on the ground. They cannot jump at all, but they climb excellently. The special structure of the spine allows the loris to make “snake-like” wave-like movements, and the mobility of the joints and location thumbs at an angle to the others allows you to grab surrounding branches. When lorises move in the treetops, they are able to stretch over an abyss, holding on to several branches at the same time. If they need to hang on a lonely branch, they feel uncomfortable and move slowly.
The loris diet consists of a variety of forest products. Slender lorises prefer insects or small vertebrates and only occasionally eat fruits and tree resin. Lorises hunt by carefully watching the prey, and right moment make a quick dash. Their touching emotions help them in this. big eyes: among the suborder of wet-nosed primates ( Strepsirrhines) in loris, the eye sockets are closest to each other - this allows for a large angle of stereoscopic vision.
Slow lorises, on the other hand, use their eyes mostly for searching. plant food. The diet of the slow loris includes both flower nectar and fruits, but its basis is plant juice. In a few seconds, the slow loris is able to make a hole in a branch or trunk to get to the nectar, which can be enjoyed for almost an hour, tightly clinging to the trunk. To prevent anyone from feasting on the loris itself at this time, it acquired a camouflage coloration. Their tongue, the longest among primates, and a serrated hyoid plate (see Sublingua) can penetrate tree flowers different shapes. At the same time, neat animals not only do not harm the flowers, but also play the role of pollinators, carrying pollen on their faces.
Loris inhabit not only the tropics, but also areas with pronounced seasonality. For example, in northern Vietnam, temperatures in winter can drop to 5°C, food becomes scarcer, and it becomes increasingly difficult to maintain body temperature. Therefore, especially Hard times Lorises prefer to hibernate. More recently, it was possible to show that the little loris ( Nycticebus pygmaeus) can fall into a multi-day (up to 62 hours, on average 43 hours) torpor, while the animal’s body temperature can drop from the usual 34°C to 11°C. Previously, the only primates that could hibernate were considered to be Madagascar lemurs.
Slow lorises are the only venomous primates. The poison is formed when the animal licks its elbow, mixing the secretions of the brachial, or brachial, gland with saliva. That is why, when there is fear and a sense of danger, the loris raises its elbows up. The mixture remains on the animal’s teeth, its bite becomes poisonous (in humans it can lead to anaphylactic shock and even death). A special structure of the teeth helps deliver the poison to its destination: the front teeth (fangs and incisors) of the loris are flattened and turned into a needle-sharp comb. Loris venom is multicomponent, its composition is species-specific and depends on the diet, which largely consists of poisonous plants. The sap of some trees that slow lorises feed on is deadly poisonous to humans, and lorises are immune to many toxins. Toxins from food can be included in the animal’s venom, thereby bringing it benefit instead of harm. The main component of loris venom is a protein from the secretoglobin family (see Secretoglobin), which are known only in mammals and are the main component of many substances secreted by them.
Galina Klink
