Slow, quiet nocturnal primates of Southeast Asia with big reflective eyes and stubby tails hidden in their fur. They have a toxic bite, rare among mammals and unique among primates. When threatened, they freeze instead of running.
Quick answers
What is it?Mammal
Carnivore?Omnivore
Dangerous?Can be
Its bite is toxic, which is rare among mammals. It gets the toxin by licking a gland on its arm, and saliva activates it.
Domesticated?No
Awake when?Night
All slow lorises are nocturnal primates.
Hibernates?No
Kept as a pet?No
Do people eat it?No
At a glance
Found inAsia
HabitatRainforest, Forest
ColoursBrown, Grey
SizeSmall
Length18–38 cm (head and body)
Weight265 g (Bornean) to 2.1 kg (Bengal slow loris)
Legs4
Covered inFur
Lives alone
Lives for20 years
In the wild
- Where it lives
- From Bangladesh and Northeast India east to the southern Philippines, and from Yunnan in China south to Java.
- What it eats
- Omnivores: small animals, fruit, tree gum and other plants.
Did you know
One of the only venomous mammals, mixing its toxin from a gland on its arm.
Slow lorises see in shades of only one colour.
Demand from the exotic pet trade and traditional medicine is the biggest cause of their decline.
Often confused with
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