Pygmy Slow Loris

More Information

At around 8–9 inches long and just 1 pound in weight, pygmy slow lorises are most easily identified by their huge brown eyes, which help them spot food in the dark. Their short reddish-brown-and-gray coat varies from individual to individual. They have opposable thumbs, along with strong hands and feet that help them climb trees. They have a very short tail.

Pygmy slow lorises are solitary and nocturnal and stay mostly in trees. When they sleep, they curl up into a ball with their head tucked under their arms to keep warm, and as a form of camouflage. When awake, they are in almost constant motion, moving more quickly than other loris species. Males mate with several females each season, with gestation lasting a little over six months. Infants cling to their mother’s bellies, but females will also “park” their young on a branch while they forage for food. Females reach sexual maturity from 9–16 months and males do so at 18–20 months of age.

Did You Know?

• These prosimians secrete a substance from glands on the inside of their elbows, which mixes with their saliva to create venom. Slow lorises are the only primates with a venomous bite, which they use to defend themselves against rivals and predators. They can also emit a strong odor as a warning.
• They have extra vascular bundles in their arms and legs, which allow blood to flow through their extremities, preventing the paresthesia (that pins-and-needles tingling) caused by poor circulation.
• Pygmy slow lorises are one of the only primate species that go into torpor, an abbreviated type of hibernation that happens between October and April when food is scarce.