A loris is a nocturnal, tailless or short-tailed primate found in South and Southeast Asia. These arboreal animals have soft fur, large eyes with dark patches, and short index fingers. Lorises move slowly through trees and often hang upside down to grasp food or branches. There are two main types of lorises: slender lorises and slow lorises. Slender lorises are slim-bodied and primarily eat insects, while slow lorises are more robust and consume insects, small animals, fruits, and vegetation. One species, the Javan slow loris, is venomous. Lorises face threats from hunting, traditional medicine, the pet trade, and habitat loss.

To what group of animals do lorises belong?

Lorises belong to the primate subfamily Lorisinae. These tail-less or short-tailed primates include about 14 species native to the forests of South and Southeast Asia. Lorises are related to the pottos and angwantibos of Africa, and together they constitute the family Lorisidae. These arboreal and nocturnal animals have soft fur and distinctive large eyes encircled by dark patches. Lorises move deliberately through trees and often hang by their feet, freeing their hands to grab food or branches. All loris species, except the gray slender loris, are considered threatened .

Where can lorises be found in the world?

Lorises, primates in the subfamily Lorisinae, are found in South and Southeast Asia. They are arboreal and nocturnal animals, recognized by their large, dark-ringed eyes and short index fingers. The slender lorises ( Loris tardigradus and L. lydekkerianus ) inhabit India and Sri Lanka, while slow lorises ( Nycticebus genus) are more widespread in Southeast Asia. Species like the pygmy slow loris ( N. pygmaeus ) are located east of the Mekong River, and the Sunda slow loris ( N. coucang ) lives in Peninsular Malaysia and Sumatra.

What do lorises look like?

Lorises are tail-less or short-tailed primates native to South and Southeast Asia. Known for their large, dark-circled eyes, they have soft fur that is typically gray or brown. There are two main types of lorises: slender lorises and slow lorises. Slender lorises, such as the red slender loris and the gray slender loris, are smaller, roughly 20 to 25 cm long, with slender limbs, small hands, rounded heads, and pointed muzzles. Slow lorises, including the pygmy slow loris and the Sunda slow loris, are more robust with shorter limbs, rounded snouts, and smaller features. The Javan slow loris is one of few venomous mammals; it has glands that produce a toxic venom.

How do lorises behave in the wild?

Lorises are nocturnal and arboreal primates native to South and Southeast Asia. They lack tails or have short tails and move slowly through trees, often hanging by their feet to free their hands for food or branches. Slender lorises are solitary and primarily eat insects, especially ants. Slow lorises are more robust and consume insects, small animals, fruits, and vegetation. The Javan slow loris is one of the few venomous mammals; it uses a toxic venom from glands under its armpits to defend its territory and young. Many loris species face threats from hunting, traditional medicine use, the pet trade, and habitat loss due to conversion of their living spaces into agricultural or grazing land.

What threats do lorises face and how are they being protected?

Lorises face threats such as being hunted for food, use in traditional medicines, collection for the pet trade, and habitat loss as their living space is converted into agricultural or grazing land. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), all loris species except the gray slender loris are considered threatened. Conservation classifications include: * Endangered - both subspecies of the red slender loris * Vulnerable - Philippine slow loris * Endangered - Sunda slow loris and the Bengal slow loris * Critically endangered - Javan slow loris and the Bangka slow loris

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An illustration of a slow loris (Nycticebus coucang) with large eyes, grasping a branch with all four limbs and holding an insect in one hand. A scale bar above shows measurements in centimeters and inches.

A Javan slow loris with large round eyes and a striped face sits among green leaves and ferns in the rainforest.

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Related Topics:: red slender loris; slow loris; Javan slow loris; Bengal slow loris; pygmy slow loris

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loris

primate subfamily

Also known as: Lorisinae

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What is a loris?
A loris is a nocturnal, tailless or short-tailed primate found in South and Southeast Asia. These arboreal animals have soft fur, large eyes with dark patches, and short index fingers. Lorises move slowly through trees and often hang upside down to grasp food or branches.

There are two main types of lorises: slender lorises and slow lorises. Slender lorises are slim-bodied and primarily eat insects, while slow lorises are more robust and consume insects, small animals, fruits, and vegetation. One species, the Javan slow loris, is venomous. Lorises face threats from hunting, traditional medicine, the pet trade, and habitat loss.
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To what group of animals do lorises belong?
Lorises belong to the primate subfamily Lorisinae. These tail-less or short-tailed primates include about 14 species native to the forests of South and Southeast Asia. Lorises are related to the pottos and angwantibos of Africa, and together they constitute the family Lorisidae.

These arboreal and nocturnal animals have soft fur and distinctive large eyes encircled by dark patches. Lorises move deliberately through trees and often hang by their feet, freeing their hands to grab food or branches. All loris species, except the gray slender loris, are considered threatened.
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Where can lorises be found in the world?
Lorises, primates in the subfamily Lorisinae, are found in South and Southeast Asia. They are arboreal and nocturnal animals, recognized by their large, dark-ringed eyes and short index fingers.

The slender lorises (Loris tardigradus and L. lydekkerianus) inhabit India and Sri Lanka, while slow lorises (Nycticebus genus) are more widespread in Southeast Asia. Species like the pygmy slow loris (N. pygmaeus) are located east of the Mekong River, and the Sunda slow loris (N. coucang) lives in Peninsular Malaysia and Sumatra.
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What do lorises look like?
Lorises are tail-less or short-tailed primates native to South and Southeast Asia. Known for their large, dark-circled eyes, they have soft fur that is typically gray or brown.

There are two main types of lorises: slender lorises and slow lorises. Slender lorises, such as the red slender loris and the gray slender loris, are smaller, roughly 20 to 25 cm long, with slender limbs, small hands, rounded heads, and pointed muzzles. Slow lorises, including the pygmy slow loris and the Sunda slow loris, are more robust with shorter limbs, rounded snouts, and smaller features. The Javan slow loris is one of few venomous mammals; it has glands that produce a toxic venom.
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How do lorises behave in the wild?
Lorises are nocturnal and arboreal primates native to South and Southeast Asia. They lack tails or have short tails and move slowly through trees, often hanging by their feet to free their hands for food or branches.

Slender lorises are solitary and primarily eat insects, especially ants. Slow lorises are more robust and consume insects, small animals, fruits, and vegetation. The Javan slow loris is one of the few venomous mammals; it uses a toxic venom from glands under its armpits to defend its territory and young.

Many loris species face threats from hunting, traditional medicine use, the pet trade, and habitat loss due to conversion of their living spaces into agricultural or grazing land.
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What threats do lorises face and how are they being protected?
Lorises face threats such as being hunted for food, use in traditional medicines, collection for the pet trade, and habitat loss as their living space is converted into agricultural or grazing land.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), all loris species except the gray slender loris are considered threatened. Conservation classifications include:
* Endangered - both subspecies of the red slender loris
* Vulnerable - Philippine slow loris
* Endangered - Sunda slow loris and the Bengal slow loris
* Critically endangered - Javan slow loris and the Bangka slow loris
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loris, (subfamily Lorisinae), any of about 14 species of tail-less or short-tailed South and Southeast Asian forest primates. Lorises are arboreal and nocturnal, curling up to sleep by day. They have soft gray or brown fur and can be recognized by their huge eyes encircled by dark patches and by their short index fingers. They move with great deliberation through the trees and often hang by their feet, with their hands free to grasp food or branches. Lorises are related to the pottos and angwantibos of Africa, and together they constitute the family Lorisidae.

The two species of slender lorises (the red slender loris [Loris tardigradus] and the gray slender loris [L. lydekkerianus]) of India and Sri Lanka are about 20–25 cm (8–10 inches) long and have long slender limbs, small hands, a rounded head, and a pointed muzzle. Slender lorises feed mostly on insects (predominantly ants) and are solitary. The female usually bears a single young after five or six months’ gestation.

The nine slow lorises (genus Nycticebus) are more robust and have shorter, stouter limbs, more-rounded snouts, and smaller eyes and ears. The smallest species, the pygmy slow loris (N. pygmaeus), is restricted to forests east of the Mekong River and is about 25 cm (10 inches) long. The larger Sunda slow loris N. coucang inhabits Peninsular Malaysia and the Indonesian island of Sumatra. This species and other members of the genus, which occur in other parts of Southeast Asia, are about 27–37 cm (11–15 inches) long. Slow lorises move more slowly than slender lorises. They feed on insects and other small animals and on fruit and other parts of vegetation. The females bear one (sometimes two) young after about six months’ gestation.

Dromedary camels (Camelus dromedarius). Animals, mammals.

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The Javan slow loris (N. javanicus), whose contemporary range is limited to small pockets of habitat on the Indonesian island of Java, is one of only a handful of venomous mammals and the only known venomous primate. It has evolved specialized glands under its armpits that produce a toxic venom that, when mixed with saliva, allows the loris to deliver a necrotic bite. The venom causes flesh at the site of the bite to rot, and studies suggest that the Javan slow loris uses this adaptation primarily to defend territories, food, and young from other members of its species.

Lorises are hunted for food, used in traditional medicines, and collected for the pet trade. Many species are vulnerable to habitat loss as their living space is converted into agricultural or grazing land. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), all species except the gray slender loris are considered threatened. Both subspecies of the red slender loris—(L. tardigradus nycticeboides and L. tardigradus tardigradus)—have been classified as endangered since 2004. Several species of slow loris are also threatened. The IUCN has listed the Philippine slow loris (N. menagensis) as a vulnerable species and the Sunda slow loris and the Bengal slow loris (N. bengalensis) as endangered species since 2015. The organization lists the Javan slow loris (N. javanicus) and the Bangka slow loris (N. bancanus) as critically endangered species.

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The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.

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