Loris tardigradus: Slender loris

Slender loris - Loris tardigradus
( Linnaeus, 1758 )

Sri Lanka


Subspecies:	1
Est. World Population:	Unknown

CITES Status:	APPENDIX II
IUCN Status:	ENDANGERED
U.S. ESA Status:	NOT LISTED

Body Length:	116-170 mm
Tail Length:	No external tail
Shoulder Height:
Weight:	103-172 g

Top Speed:
Jumping Ability:	(Horizontal)

Life Span:	Unknown in the Wild
Life Span:	15 years in Captivity

Sexual Maturity:	10 months (average) (Females)
Sexual Maturity:	12 months (average) (Males)
Litter Size:	1 to 2
Gestation Period:	166 to 169 days

Identification:

Slender lorises usually have a gray or reddish coat. However, this varies according to subspecies. The most distinguishing characteristics are the very long, slender arms and legs. They also have large eyes and ears.

Habitat:

Slender lorises are able to live in various habitats, including wet and dry zones, lowland and highland forests (Hill, 1953).

Biomes: Tropical rainforest, dry semi-deciduous forest, scrub and montane forest and swamp areas

Range:

Loris tardigradus occurs in India and Sri Lanka (MacDonald, 1984).

Life Cycle:

There are two distinct mating seasons in the wild, one from April to May and another from October to November. In captivity, the slender loris breeds year round. During mating season, the female is in estrus for a period of 29-40 days. During mating the female hangs from a branch by all four limbs and will completely support the male's weight, in addition to her own.

Gestation ranges from 166-169 days. Mothers normally give birth to one infant at a time, but twins have been reported at a rate of about 22%. Newborns cling to their mothers' fur and are born pink and almost entirely furless. The maternal instinct is apparently strong, as captive females have been observed caring for the infants of other females.

Food & Hunting:

Slender lorises are chiefly insectivorous but also include shoots, young leaves, fruits with hard rinds, bird's eggs, and small vertebrates in their diet (Nowak, 1991). They consume all parts of their prey. They were observed to eat feathers, scales, and bones of the vertebrates; and horny exoskeletons of insects (Pocock, 1939).

Behaviour:

Slender lorises are nocturnal and spend the day in a hollow tree or curled up in a vertical posture with their rumps in the angles of branches. They maintain this posture by grasping neighboring twigs. They have owl like appearance because of their habit of swaying from side to side when disturbed (Hill, 1953).

Slender lorises usually live alone or with a mate. Studies have shown that they are very aggressive. When several individuals were kept together, there was initially constant squealing and then fighting, sometimes resulting in death (Nowak, 1991).

Conservation:

The species is protected by law in Sri Lanka, and is listed on Appendix II of CITES.

Predation

Details on predation of these lorises are not available. It is likley that they fall victim to nocturnal predators, such as owls, snakes, and small carnivorous mammals.

Ecosystem Roles

Loris tardigradus may play an important role in local food webs. This species consumes insects, possibly structuring insect populations and having some impact upon the insect community. In addition, these lorises may serve as prey to larger animals.