If this fails, they will stare at their attacker and growl while emitting an unpleasant odor from scent glands under their arms. If threatened, slender lorises usually freeze and remain motionless until the danger has passed. Individuals communicate using urine scent marks, claiming territory or advertising their reproductive status to others. As in other loris species, males will not tolerate the presence of other males in their territory. While generally solitary, slender lorises have been seen foraging with a mate. During the day, they sleep curled up in a ball in hollow trees or in the crook of a branch, bracing themselves by clutching nearby twigs with their spindly arms and delicate hands. Slender lorises are solitary, nocturnal foragers who are active throughout the night. Offspring reach sexual maturity between 10 and 18 months (more slowly in males) and may give birth themselves soon after. The maternal instinct is apparently strong, as captive females have been observed caring for the infants of other females. Newborns cling to their mothers’ fur and are born pink and almost entirely furless. Mothers normally give birth to one infant at a time, but twins have been reported at a rate of about 22%. 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. During mating season, the female is in estrus for a period of 29-40 days. In captivity, the slender loris breeds year round. There are two distinct mating seasons in the wild, one from April to May and another from October to November. While most individuals live alone, some also live in pairs. The reproductive strategy of the slender loris varies slightly from that of the other loris species. As carnivores, slender lorises do not tend to be picky, with research showing that they consume every part of their prey, which may include feathers, bones and hard exoskeletons. When they get close, they crouch and leap suddenly, grabbing the animal or insect with their nimble hands. They catch their prey using a ‘sneak, spring, and grab’ method: They stalk along a branch, slowly approaching an insect or other food item. Although they spend most of the time in the trees, they occasionally come to the ground. Slender lorises can move fast if alarmed. Slender lorises also feed on plant material, including young leaves, shoots, flowers, and fruit with hard rinds. In addition, they have been observed eating eggs and small vertebrates. They have a highly developed sense of smell, which they use to locate insect prey in the dark. Slender lorises are omnivorous, but unlike the other loris species, they depend on insects as their primary food source. In this species, however, it appears that adult males and females sometimes forage in pairs. Like the other lorises, the slender loris is a solitary, nocturnal feeder. The Lemur Center no longer houses any slender lorises in its colony. Unfortunately, it is unlikely that a sustainable captive population can be maintained in North America. In North America, there are only about 10 slender lorises remaining in captivity, and the animals are quite aged. They are capable of moving quickly if alarmed, but they do not jump or leap. When they move, they do so with slow deliberate hand-over-hand movements, moving along as easily under a branch as above. Generally they sleep curled up in a ball, with their heads tucked up under their arms. They are arboreal and nocturnal, sleeping by day in hollowed out trees, tree crevices or branches. The forelimbs and hindlimbs of lorises are nearly equal in length.Īll lorises have extremely strong fingers and toes, and they are capable of maintaining a powerful grip with either hands or feet for astonishingly long periods of time. Lorises have a tail either very short or completely absent, and their heads and eyes are round, with small ears which are almost completely hidden by fur. All three of these species are members of the family Lorisidae which includes lorises, galagos and pottos and consists of 9 genera and over 25 species found in Africa south of the Sahara, southern India, Sri Lanka, southeastern Asia and the East Indies. Slender lorises are one of three species of loris maintained at the Lemur Center (the others are pygmy slow lorises and slow lorises). Annual Report, Magazines, and Newsletters.Overview: Madagascar Conservation Programs.
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