The slender loris (
Loris tardigradus) is a type of
lemur found in southern
India and
Sri Lanka. A small-bodied nocturnal
prosimian primate, their head and body length normally reaches about 17 to 26 cm and a weight of between 85 and 340 grams. They are quite slender and recognizable by large black spots surrounding each eye seperated by a narrow white line down to their noses. They have no tail and their brilliant orange eyeshine is caused by a reflective layer on the eye called the
tapetum lucidum.
They mainly eat all sorts of insects or small
vertebrates, but also eat fruit and nectar when necessary. Normally found in the wild alone or with a mate, in capitivity they have often been found to
tolerate one another.
The slender
loris mates twice a year and has a
gestation period of 166 to 169 days. For the first three or four weeks, the mother carries the infants on her belly where they constantly suckle. Some males have been found to care for infants and even play with them. Females mature at 10 months and males at 18 months and have a
lifespan of about 12 to 15 years.
Sources used for this write-up:
http://www.szgdocent.org/pp/p-loris2.htm
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Jim_Scarff/lemurs/lorises.htm
http://nocturnalprimate.org/