Slow lorises are arboreal and nocturnal, holing up by day in hollowed-out trees, tree crevices, or branches. They usually curl up in a ball, with their heads tucked up under their arms, making them blend in and stay toasty. When darkness falls, they move with methodical, deliberate hand-over-hand movements, moving fluidly both on top or below a branch.
They can move quickly if alarmed, or when snatching an insect out of the air. Winter break. Pygmy slow lorises are one of the few primate species that slip into torpor an abbreviated type of hibernation during cool months late October to early April. During this time, fewer resources—namely insects—are available, so pygmy slow lorises must cut back somehow.
Fine dine. The pygmy slow loris eats different types of food. They are opportunistic. According to the Duke Lemur Center, fruits and gums make up more than half of the diet, and insects and small prey items make up another 30 percent.
Using its acute sense of smell, lorises effectively hunt and dine in the dark. If a hapless insect goes by, the loris swiftly snatches it out of the air with both hands. Click here. Largely solitary and nocturnal, pygmy slow lorises communicate with each other with calls and scent markings. When disturbed, it can emit a strong odor, warning predators to stay away.
Then, they may hiss or growl. Now its bite has some, well, bite! The venom can debilitate a predator and cause anaphylactic shock in humans. They are strictly seasonal breeders, with estrus occurring between the end of July and early October. Females give birth hanging from branches or sitting in trees.
Mothers make a gentle chirping sound to their infants, who respond with clicks and squeaks, especially if in distress. Males mark their territory with urine; his territory may overlap with several females. Home range size is unknown. Twinning is common, but often one baby is smaller than the other, and that one may be neglected and die. Mothers interact with and take better care of their singleton offspring. More males are born than females, but mortality rates are higher for them.
Youngsters likely find suitable foods by smell, as adults scent-mark feeding sites they frequent, such as flower nectaries and gum-oozing wounds in trees. Branching out Mother lorises may give birth every 12 to 18 months, producing one or two offspring per litter.
Gestation is about days. Nekaris tells Mongabay that it's rare for both males and females to have venom and also use it. In species like the duck-billed platypus, males use their venom against each other during mating season. Very few studies provide in-depth analyses of how individuals within a species use venom to settle disputes or vie for resources, Ronald Jenner, a venom specialist at the Natural History Museum in London who was not involved in this research, tells the Times.
But to his knowledge, "this is the most extensive field study ever done on this topic," he says. Rasha Aridi is a science journalist based in Richmond, Virginia. She has written for Science magazine and Science News for Students.
You can find her portfolio at rashaaridi. Javan slow lorises are now one of only six mammal species known to use venom against individuals of their own species. Post a Comment. Find out more here or donate to help the grazing wildlife here. These beautiful animals are taken from the wild to sell as pets at cruel animal markets in Indonesia. Their teeth are removed to stop them biting, leaving them in pain and susceptible to infection.
Many perish at the market, or before they even reach it, and their body parts are used for traditional medicines. We are working with The Little Fireface Project to find out how to give slow lorises the very best chance when rescued and returned to the wild. The diminishing forests, bisected by roads and plundered for their natural resources, need protection if these primates are to survive. A fundamental part of the work is education.
People need to realise that slow lorises are not pets.
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