Slow loris
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Slow Loris are several species of primate, which are perhaps best known as one of the only venomous mammals besides the platypus. The loris are commonly found in hot areas and in forests. They are one of the rarest mammals because of its location, and its toxic bite and venom. These mammals also spend most of there time in trees and the mom is the only one that takes care of the infants. They eat many many different things because they are not picky at all.[2]
Body Design
The Slow Loris is a fairly small mammal, as the average height of 27 to 38 centimeters and weight roughly around 650 grams. It has a white stripe running down there face and ends at there neck. They have very light or dark brown fur and they have more fur behind their ears. The animal has a very small tail at the end of the butt and it is hidden underneath the fur. They have some of the smallest tails out of lemur but have some of the biggest eyes. Their eyes are big because of the nocturnal activity all Slow Loris lemurs do. Their hands are very small but they use them to grip onto stuff like trees, leaves, and other plant substances.
The Male and Female don't vary in anything like color, size or weight, and they don't have anything sexually different too. They have a tooth comb and a jaw that is used to break and eat things like plants, bugs, and other small and simple things. They have, like all lemurs, wet noses. They also have very round football like heads which is good to keep those big eyes in their heads. Plus, they have a very flat face which is just like a straight line.[3]
Life Cycle/Lifespan/Food
The Slow Loris gives birth once a year and does it in a peculiar way. First, the female hangs from the branch of a tree to get the males attention and may make some noises to get the attention of the male quicker. The female can also use urine markings to get the males attention. But while the female is hanging onto the branch, the male climbs up the tree and hangs onto both the female and the tree. While holding both the tree and female, the male has intercourse at the same time and that is how the new born slow loris is made. Now there was a suggestion that scientist made and it said that female slow loris' have had intercourse with many different males. But there is no proof of that statement being true either.
The Slow Loris is a polyestrous, which means the animals have intercourse or sexual receptivity more than once a year. Their estrus, a recurring period of sexual receptivity and fertility in many female mammals, lasts about 29-45 days. When one offspring is born, the female goes into the gestation period, which lasts 188 days or roughly 6-7 months. The young are weaned, accustom (an infant or other young mammal) to food other than its mother's milk, between three and six months old. The females are the only ones that can watch over the newborns. The females lick the young clean and cover them in a toxin that helps protect them while the mother gets food, water, or any other materials; The feamles are also better at climbing through trees, which the babies will learn. Females can reach sexual maturity between 18-24 months old while the male, can reach it in 17 months. The number of offspring they have at a time is 1 per session, although[3]
The Slow Loris usually spends time eating sap and plant parts that produces nectar and other things like that. This animal is a nocturnal species starting at the night. They have a low metabolic rates that are like other mammals their sides. They sleep in a balls and they stay hidden on the top of trees. They could also sleep in the tree holes. Estimates indicate that an individual slow loris may use around sixty individual sleeping sites.
Ecology
The Slow Loris lives mainly in Indonesia , Malaysia, and Singapore. They live in low elevation forests. They can live tropical forests, savannahs, dry evergreen forests, and many more locations.[3]
Venom
This very cute animal looks very fuzzy and innocent, but it can pack a punch. The Slow loris is one of the two venomous mammals that exist, with the other being the platypus. But, the Slow Loris is the only venomous primates. The venom can only be obtained by grooming the animal. The venom is usually maintained from the arms of this animal because it produces an oily type secretion in the animal. And this venom can even be found in younger lemurs and they can be as young as 6 months. The venom is kept in a tooth cavity and it is made in the dental comb and is formed in the bigger, lower jaw. They usually never attack people or things unless they feel threatened. The toxic venom is made up of 200 components but the structure of the venom and where it comes from isn't known yet.The toxins are emitted from the brachial glands and the tooth comb and the smelling toxins are only released under times of stress. [4]
Now there is a differences between venomous and poisonous. But the flexor surface or the ventral side of the elbow has a slightly raised but barely visible swelling termed the brachial gland. They secrete about 10 microliters of clear, strong-smelling fluid in the form of a sweat from their brachial gland. They don't secrete the venom unless they are under pressure or under stress. They bend their heads downwards between uplifted forelegs, rubbing the brachial gland exudate onto their head and neck. Slow lorises frequently lick their own brachial gland regions and also wipe their brachial gland against their head.[5]
Video
Slow Loris eating a Riceball!
