Fat lemur. Photo of the lemur lory - description of the lemur lory

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 omnivores and lead night image. 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 slow loris not an 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.

Some might think that "slow loris" is a very appropriate nickname for a clumsy eater.

But in fact, this is the name of a species of animal belonging to one of the five species of funny creatures with large eyes that are part of the loris family. In countries where English is spoken, it is also called "slow" due to the fact that it moves very smoothly.

The Latin name for slow lorises is Nycticebus. They live in eastern Bangladesh, northeastern India and the warm Indonesian islands in Indochina.

They are often quite unreasonably confused with lemurs. These animals are distinguished from each other by many characteristics, in particular the fact that lemurs live at a great distance from lorises - in Madagascar.

Another difference is that slow lorises, like other members of this family, lack a tail. More precisely, it is there, but of such a small size that it can only be detected by feeling the animal. These are small animals, whose body length can be from 18 to 38 cm, and their weight is no more than one and a half kilograms. Slow lorises are one of the few representatives of this family that survive in captivity.

But before you get yourself such a pet, you need to take into account the fact that there are five species in the genus of slow loris, and one of them, or rather the small slow loris, is poisonous. This tiny creature, only 18-20 cm in length with innocent eyes, can cause a lot of trouble. The fact is that on the elbow of this representative of the loris family there are glands that are capable of secreting a substance that, when mixed with saliva, becomes potent poison.

Slow lorises are funny and cute monkeys.

In the wild, small lorises use this poison to protect their cubs from predators. To do this, they lick the baby's fur, which after such treatment becomes poisonous. The bites of these animals are also poisonous, since the elbow glands often come into contact with saliva.

And other types of slow lorises are absolutely harmless. Active image They lead their lives at night, this explains the presence of such big eyes. Most often they live alone, sometimes in pairs or groups that are not created on long time. As a rule, several females live in the area of ​​one male. A female, ready for fertilization, attracts a male with her urine, in which special pheromones appear during this period.

Females bear cubs for about three months. As a result, one baby is born. Immediately after birth, the cub clings to the mother's fur and spends the next two weeks in this state. And although just a day after birth he gains the ability to cling to tree branches, he still prefers to be near his mother’s nipple.

In the wild, male lorises do not take part in raising their offspring, while in captivity some caring fathers simply take the cub away from the mother and protect it themselves and carry it on themselves, giving it to the mother only to feed it.

A curious small animal - the loris.

The main food products of lorises are insects, bird eggs, chicks and their small parents, various rodents, as well as nectar and fruits. They are peaceful and do not come into conflict with each other in the process of obtaining food. Most often, “neighbors” demonstrate different poses when they meet, or brush each other’s fur. For this procedure, the thick loris has a special tool - the so-called “cosmetic” claw, which is located on the second toe, and on all other fingers they have ordinary nails.

You can often see a colorful cartoon on TV where there is unusual beast with sad bulging eyes, lazily hanging on the branches of trees. In nature, there is a mammal that is classified as a wet-nosed primate and is called a loris.

Description of slow lorises

How often can you find a funny animal with bulging eyes and a cute face in a toy store?. This is a species of primate - the slow loris, which in its own way appearance and the fur really resembles soft toys.

This is interesting! What is surprising is that this species is a representative poisonous mammals, capable of causing serious damage to humans from bites.

Appearance

Cute and slightly funny prosimians, the slow lorises, have a very original appearance:

• Body length. The size of this primate varies from 20 cm to 38.
• Head. It has a small head with barely noticeable ears, which are sometimes not visible at all. But the eyes of this animal have a pronounced round, even slightly bulging shape. Nature took care to emphasize this characteristic feature Lori primates, so around the eyes the fur is black or dark brown in the form of pronounced circles. But on the bridge of their nose you can distinguish white stripe, thanks to which the animal looks like it’s wearing a clown mask. Reference! It is curious that thanks to their funny face, these prosimians got their name “Loeris”, which translated from Dutch means “clown”.
• Tail. Has very small size about 1.5-2.5 cm.
• Weight. It depends on the representative of the species, the largest loris is the Bengal loris, around 1.5 kg, and the smallest representatives of this species are the Kalimantan lorises, weighing only about 200-300 grams.
• Wool. Hairline These primates have a grayish or yellowish tint; it feels thick and soft to the touch.
• Fingers. Index fingers can be called vestigial organs, while the large one is well developed and contrasted with the rest. This allows the loris to grasp small objects well. The fingers have a kind of “cosmetic” nails, with the help of which primates take care of their thick fur.

Character and lifestyle

Basically, these animals are nocturnal. They have excellent vision and are well oriented in the dark, thanks to the reflective substance tapetum.

This is interesting! Bright light is harmful to the eyes of these animals, they can even go blind.

Due to this feature, they mostly sleep during the daytime, and after sunset they begin their active phase of the day. Although it is called active only conditionally. Thick lorises are distinguished by their regularity and slowness; they are absolutely indifferent to fast and sudden movements. When they move between the trees, they do it as carefully as possible, without catching a single leaf.

In case of danger, they freeze and can remain motionless for a long time.. They like to rest, curled up in a ball of fur on a tree, while they hold on to a branch with their tenacious paws, and hide their heads in hind legs. A fork in branches or a hollow is an ideal place for slow lorises to sleep.

If the loris was acquired as pet, then we should not forget that this is a wild mammal that is almost impossible to train to a tray. If we talk about poisonous features animal, the poison is secreted from the ulnar gland. They mainly coat their fur with this secretion to repel predators. What danger can they pose to humans? They have very sharp teeth and can bite, and since poison from the fur can get onto the fangs and claws, the bite can be accompanied by additional troubles in the form of numbness in the bitten area.

This is interesting! In practice, no terrible cases have been recorded in which a person was seriously injured by slow lorises!

How long do slow lorises live?

The average life expectancy is 15-20 years. It all depends on the conditions in which the animal is kept. If he has appropriate care and is provided good nutrition, they can please you with their existence for up to 25 years.

Range, habitats

You can meet slow lorises in tropical forests Bangladesh, on the outskirts of northern China, and also in the eastern Philippines. Different varieties of Loriids can inhabit the Malay Peninsula, Indonesian islands, forest areas Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. Their favorite place are the tops of the trees, between the branches. Because of this habitat, it is very difficult to study the lifestyle of these mammals. Scientists were able to draw the main conclusions based on observations of primates in captivity.

Diet of slow lorises

What do these cute animals eat? Undoubtedly, plant food in the form of vegetables, fruits, flowering parts of plants, is present in their diet. But they give preference to crickets, small birds and their eggs, and lizards. They do not disdain the resin of trees and their bark.

Important! But the most surprising thing about their diet is that they are one of the few who are able to eat poisonous insects, caterpillars, etc.

If the loris is in captivity, it is often fed with dried fruits and baby cereals, to which butter and honey are added. Small primates readily eat this food. A special balanced dry food has also been created for them. In some cases, products such as overripe bananas are used, quail eggs, cherries and raspberries, papaya, melon and even fresh carrots and cucumber.

It is very important to provide slow lorises with their usual food in the form of caterpillars, insects, cockroaches, and crickets. Everything you need can be purchased at specialized pet stores. If you have already decided to purchase exotic pet, make sure that all the necessary conditions are created for him, because, due to the stress he suffered and poor nutrition, loris in captivity can get sick and even die. Food must contain calcium and protein.

Reproduction and offspring

Not all representatives of this species can find a mate and start a family. They can choose a partner for a long time, remaining alone. Having formed a pair, both parents take care of the offspring.

Females mature by 9 months of life, and males only by 1.5 years. Pregnancy lasts 6 months and, as a rule, one or two cubs are born. They are born with with open eyes and a body covered with a small layer of fur. During lactation, which lasts about 5 months, they are completely covered with enough wool to not freeze at night in the forests.

A baby loris can move from its mother to its father or another relative in the family, but dear mother he will come back again and again to feed. They hold onto the fur on the belly of an adult loris with their tenacious paws.

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 device only in wildlife, and only in the case when there is nowhere to go and you have to take 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. The animal's nocturnal lifestyle 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 today the protein 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 do not expect that on the very first day he will go into your arms - 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.

SMALL LORIS(Nycticebus pygmaeus) is a small animal of the Loriidae family, the size of a large chipmunk: its body length does not exceed 23 cm, and its weight is 800 g. This animal lives in dense tropical forests and bamboo groves in Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and parts of China and Cambodia. Sometimes the small slow loris is classified as a lemur, which is not reality.
Externally, the animal looks funny. Its body is covered with short and thick hair, the color of which varies from brownish-gray to dark rusty, a dark stripe of fur stretches along the spine, and there is no tail.
On a short round head are located huge eyes and small ears. The eyes are bordered with black circles, and a light stripe runs across the bridge of the nose, as if he is wearing a clown mask. By the way, the small loris got its name from the Dutch language, from which it is translated as “clown”.

The surprising thing is that this primate is poisonous. On inside In the elbow joint there are glands, the secretions of which, when mixed with saliva, turn into a very strong poison. This is so unusual for primates that the little loris received the first line in, which are unknown general public.
The animal leads a twilight and nocturnal lifestyle. The loris spends most of its time in the crowns tall trees, where he finds shelter, food, and protection from enemies. The unique structure of its paws allows it to hold onto tree branches with a death grip for hours and hang on two limbs without getting tired at all. The slow loris moves very slowly and carefully, so that even the foliage of trees often remains undisturbed, which resembles the walking style of a chameleon. But, unlike lemurs and galagos, this species has lost the ability to jump well.

Small lorises live solitarily. Each individual has its own territory, which it marks with urine, but the males' territories are larger, and often overlap several females' territories. The male learns that the female is ready to mate by the enzymes she secretes along with her urine. After fertilization, the female carries one or two cubs for 188 days. Small slow lorises do not build any nests; babies are born on any suitable branch. They are born fully formed, and for some time they travel on their parents, clinging to their fur with their paws.

After two weeks, the cubs can already move independently in the treetops following their mother, simultaneously learning to search for food from the example of an adult. Until approximately 9 months, the young remain with the female (the male does not participate in raising the offspring). By this time, females are already able to mate, while males become sexually mature at the age of 18-20 months.
In wild nature small slow loris feeds on both plant and animal food: insects and their larvae, beetles, small birds and eggs, lizards, fruits and other vegetation. The animal finds its prey with the help of acute binocular vision and smell, and eats it hanging on its hind limbs, holding food with its front legs.