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Range and Habitat: Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia. They are
nocturnal and arboreal.
Habitats and Adaptations: Move along a branch or liana
in a smooth and coordinated manner so that they remain unnoticed
as they pass through the vegetation. This system of "cryptic"
locomotion works effectively in thick vegetation.
Little is known but it seems to live in small family groups consisting
of an adult male, an adult female and one or two generations of
offspring. Communication is primarily by means of the messages
contained in urine marking. To remain inconspicuous, vocal exchanges
are limited. When disturbed or angry it growls or grunts fairly
loudly and chatters shrilly. It also emits a low buzzing hiss
with the mouth open. The loris has a greeting call; a single high
pitched whistle. A clicking sound has also been noted
Diet: They eat a variety of fruits, vegetation and gums,
insects, small mammals and birds. They catch their prey, which
is mostly slow moving, when it is stationary. They search out
food largely by smell. Typically the prey is foul-smelling or
bears hairs that cause irritation and is thus rejected by most
predators but lorises eat them with little problem.
Breeding and Maturation: Pygmy loris have a relatively
low reproduction rate. With few exceptions they reproduce only
once a year, usually giving birth to a single young. Cases of
twinning seem to be more common for captive pygmy lorises. Gestation
is 186 to 192 days. The newborn is thickly furred, well -developed
and able to cling to the belly of its mother who carries it for
several days. Soon the mother deposits her young on a branch (baby
parking) and retrieves it later in the night when moving to forage
elsewhere or in the morning when going off to sleep. Infants can
be weaned at 6 months but will continue to attempt nursing until
sexually mature at 18 months of age if allowed to remain with
the mother.
Miscellaneous: When exposed to saliva during grooming,
exudate of the brachial gland (found on the forearms) activates
toxins and noxious compounds used by the loris for defense and
to protect its parked infant.
The pygmy slow loris is rare, with a total population estimated
at approximately 72,000 with less than 13% of this population
located in protected areas. Considered vulnerable, because of
political instability in this region, and because 76% of their
habitat was lost due to logging and military activities. They
are listed as threatened and are included in CITES Appendix II.
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