Lori is a big-eyed miracle (19 photos). Nocturnal animal loris Are lemurs poisonous?

Some might think that "slow loris" is a very appropriate nickname for a clumsy eater.

But in fact, this is the name of a species of animal belonging to one of the five species of funny creatures with large eyes that are part of the loris family. In countries where they speak English, it is also called “slow” due to the fact that it moves very smoothly.

The Latin name for slow lorises is Nycticebus. They live in eastern Bangladesh, northeastern India and the warm Indonesian islands in Indochina.

They are often quite unreasonably confused with lemurs. These animals are distinguished from each other by many characteristics, in particular the fact that lemurs live on long distance from loris - in Madagascar.

Another difference is that slow lorises, like other members of this family, lack a tail. More precisely, it is there, but of such a small size that it can only be detected by feeling the animal. These are small animals, whose body length can be from 18 to 38 cm, and their weight is no more than one and a half kilograms. Slow lorises are one of the few representatives of this family that survive in captivity.

But before you get yourself such a pet, you need to take into account the fact that there are five species in the genus of slow loris, and one of them, or rather the small slow loris, is poisonous. This tiny creature, only 18-20 cm in length with innocent eyes, can cause a lot of trouble. The fact is that on the elbow of this representative of the loris family there are glands that are capable of secreting a substance that, when mixed with saliva, becomes a potent poison.

Slow lorises are funny and cute monkeys.

In conditions wildlife Little slow lorises use this poison to protect their young from predators. To do this, they lick the baby's fur, which after such treatment becomes poisonous. The bites of these animals are also poisonous, since the elbow glands often come into contact with saliva.

And other types of slow lorises are absolutely harmless. They lead an active lifestyle at night, which explains the presence of such large eyes. Most often they live alone, sometimes in pairs or groups that are not created on long time. As a rule, several females live in the area of one male. A female, ready for fertilization, attracts a male with her urine, in which special pheromones appear during this period.

Females bear cubs for about three months. As a result, one baby is born. Immediately after birth, the cub clings to the mother's fur and spends the next two weeks in this state. And although just a day after birth he gains the ability to cling to tree branches, he still prefers to be near his mother’s nipple.

In the wild, male loris do not take part in raising their offspring, while in captivity some caring fathers simply take the cub away from the mother and protect it themselves and carry it on themselves, giving it to the mother only to feed it.

A curious small animal - the loris.

The main food products of lorises are insects, bird eggs, chicks and their small parents, various rodents, as well as nectar and fruits. They are peaceful and do not come into conflict with each other in the process of obtaining food. Most often, “neighbors” demonstrate different poses when they meet, or brush each other’s fur. For this procedure, the thick loris has a special tool - the so-called “cosmetic” claw, which is located on the second toe, and on all other fingers they have ordinary nails.

Russian name- Slow or slow loris
Latin name- Nycticebus coucang
English name- Slow loris
Class- Mammals (Mammalia)
Squad- Primates
Family- Loridae

For a long time, due to their extreme slowness, lorises were considered sloths; only in 1766, the French naturalist Buffon established that they were actually prosimians.

Status of the species in nature

The species is on the verge of extinction, included in the International Red Book - IUCN (VU), in the Convention on international trade species wild fauna and flora - CITES I.

Species and man

Humans are destroying the habitats of slow lorises and using the animals themselves as food.

In their homeland, India, lorises became victims of human superstition. Their extraordinary eyes are considered remedies for eye diseases, the evil eye, and they are credited with the ability love spell and animals are hunted for their eyes. In some places these prosimians are used for food. Large quantity Lorises are caught by poachers for sale to exotic animal lovers, since there is a high demand for them in many countries. Most of the captured animals die in the first weeks due to improper care. But still, one of the main reasons for the decline in the number of loris in nature is the destruction tropical forests which are their home.

Distribution and habitats

Slow loris lives in Southeast Asia more precisely, from East India to Vietnam, the Malay Peninsula, Western Indonesia and the Philippines. Preferred habitats are rain forest at altitudes up to 1300 m above sea level. These animals do not leave the trees: they feed and sleep high above the ground.

Appearance and morphological features

Small animal: body length 26-38 cm, tail - 1.5-2.5 cm; weight 23-60 grams. Males are almost indistinguishable from females in appearance. The loris has a rounded head with a greatly shortened muzzle and huge eyes that can see in almost complete darkness. The coat is thick and soft, yellow-brown or grayish in color, lighter on the belly. A dark stripe stretches from the head along the back along the spine.

All four limbs approximately equal length. The toe pads are widened, all the toes are equipped with nails, with the exception of the second toe, which has a “cosmetic” claw, which is used for combing out fur. The animals move on four limbs, clinging to branches or moving along them. Lorises are capable of catching an insect in flight with their hand and holding it tightly in their leg and continuing to move further along the branch.

An interesting adaptation for life on high altitude is an unusually strong grip of the hands and feet. The loris has a special structure of the hands and feet - the second finger is shortened, and the first finger extends at an angle of almost 180° and provides a powerful grip. Animals are able to move along branches in any direction and can hang for a long time, holding on with one or two legs. This becomes possible thanks to powerful muscles, and the special location and number of blood vessels in the wrists and ankles. This vascular system is known as the “miraculous network.” It provides the muscles of the limbs with an abundant flow of oxygenated blood and quickly removes metabolic products.

There are many glands on the body of the loris, the secretion of which is used for marking.

Lorises have an unusually strong grip on their arms and legs.

Diet and feeding behavior

All lorises consume a lot of animal protein in the form of invertebrates, bird eggs, small birds, bats and rodents (40%). The rest of the food consists of plant components: fruits (50%), tree resin(gum), flower nectar (10%).

Lorises have a remarkable dietary feature - they eat unpalatable or poisonous invertebrates. These animals, with the help of a wonderful sense of smell and equally wonderful hearing, find slow caterpillars covered with hairs that cause irritation, and even poisonous centipedes. The resin from fruit trees, which lorises scrape from branches with their lower teeth, also contains many toxins. The fact is that the loris has a slow metabolism, its speed is 40 times lower than could be expected based on the size of the animal. This allows time for neutralization in the intestines. toxic substances so that they are not absorbed into the blood.

Lifestyle and social behavior

Lories are active at night, they move and hunt alone. They move, slowly rearranging their limbs, as if “flowing” along the branches, freezing for a long time at the slightest sign of danger. This makes them invisible to enemies and potential prey. However, during the hunt, they are capable of a rapid attack, rushing forward and grabbing the prey with their hands.

Lorises can be classified as those animals that forage alone, but live in socially isolated communities. They lead a solitary lifestyle, sleeping in nests during the day, but at night during feeding they often meet with representatives of their own species, with whom their individual areas overlap. In such cases, animals touch each other, engaging in mutual grooming, or communicate with each other using postures. But most often they receive information about each other through smell and hearing. There are many glandular cells on the skin of the loris - under the chin, on the inside of the arm near the elbow, on the chest, near the genitals. The secretion of these glands, together with the smell of excrement, serves to mark the territory, oneself and members of the opposite sex.

Vocalization

Vocalizations are used primarily for mother-infant communication and for signaling alarm and aggression.

Reproduction, development and parenthood
behavior

Loris have a fairly long pregnancy - about 190 days. 1-2 cubs are born, which the female carries on herself from the moment of their birth. The newborn cub immediately firmly grasps the mother’s fur and does not leave it for up to 14 days. The first days it is closer to the nipple, and then moves throughout her body. Sometimes the female carefully removes the baby from herself and places it in a secluded fork in the branches or in a hollow tree while she goes off to feed. While the mother walks around getting food, the cub sits very quietly and unnoticed. When the cub is uncomfortable, it makes a very loud chirp, and the mother rushes to it.

It is believed that males do not take part in raising the cubs. However, when kept in captivity, the male (this depends on his individual character) sometimes takes over the cub and carries it, but as soon as the child gets hungry, the father approaches the female, and the cub goes to her.

When the baby turns 1-1.5 years old, he becomes old enough to lead an independent life, leaves the territory of his parents and takes up his own area. Sexual maturity in females occurs at 17-21 months, in males at 17-20 months.

Lifespan

In captivity correct content and feeding (which is not at all easy to organize), lorises can live up to 25-26 years.

The Story of Life at the Zoo

Slow lorises have lived in the Moscow Zoo since 1980 and successfully reproduce.

The diet includes fruits (bananas, grapes, papaya, apples, kiwi, pears, peaches), Baby Dad cereal, boiled chicken, cottage cheese, quail eggs and live insects.

You can see slow lorises in the “Night World” of the “Monkeys” pavilion on the New Territory of the zoo.

Research work with this species at the Moscow Zoo

Meshik v. A. 1996 “Mutual behavioral adaptation of partners in dyads in two species of Prosimians.” International Journal of Comparative Psychology, vol9, No 4, pp 159-172

Nocturnal animals, loris, representatives of the Loriidae family, live in tropical forests Central Africa, South and Southeast Asia. Their distinguishing feature- huge eyes directed forward. Their tails are short or absent altogether. Typically, lorises reach a length of 17 to 40 cm, and the weight varies depending on the species between 0.3 and 2 kg. Lorises are active primarily at night. They are characterized by slow and careful movements, and never jump. With their strong paws, Loriids cling to branches and even by force it is very difficult to unhook them from them. Most Loriids live alone or in small genus groups. Lorises can live up to 20 years.

Lories feed mainly on insects, bird eggs and small vertebrates. In addition, they can eat fruit or tree sap. Main threat The existence of Loriaceae consists of the gradual destruction of their habitat, that is, tropical forests. The Loriaceae family is divided into four genera, which contain from eight to ten species, depending on your point of view. Some of the genera are: slender, fat, small, common, slow loris and potto.

Slender lorises are small graceful animals with a body weight of 85-348 grams and a head and body length of about 26 cm; there is no tail. The limbs are thin, slender, the forelimbs are only slightly shorter than the hind limbs. The eyes are round and very large, close together and directed forward, separated only by a narrow white stripe, and dark circles around the eyes, which further increases their size.

Slender lorises are inhabitants of the tropical rain forests of South India and Ceylon, but are also found in dry forest areas. Locals they are called tevangu. During the day they sleep in tree hollows or in dense foliage, most often near forked branches. In this case, the body is curled up into a ball, the head and forelimbs are between the thighs, and the feet cling tightly to the branch, sometimes the arms wrap around the branch. In captivity, they can be seen sleeping in limbo, clinging to the crossbar of their cage.

As the sun sets, the slender lorises awaken, unfurl, stretch, clean and fluff their fur with a tooth comb and a toilet claw, then slowly set out in search of food. In the twilight, their eyes shine brightly like coals. Their slow movement is due to the grasping ability of the limbs, with the feet playing the main role. The hand is also a good grasping organ; in grasping branches of small diameter and in grasping food, the main force belongs to the large and longest fourth fingers.

About six sounds they make are described, including low grunts and chirps. Of their special habits, it is interesting to note that, like many other lemurs, moving slowly along the branches, they spray their entire surface with urine, wetting their limbs with it. This habit is explained as olfactory territory marking.

The fat loris is quite similar to the slender loris, although they differ more large sizes and a dense build. Their food consists of insects, leaves, fruits, seeds, birds and their eggs, and lizards. In captivity they eat a lot of fruit and some meat. Fat lorises live alone or in pairs and small families. Several types of their voice are known - low grunt, high-pitched chirping, high clear whistle, especially in females during breeding. In captivity they are silent and sad.

The little loris differs little from the great slow loris. Mainly by size: its weight ranges from 400 to 800 g, while the great loris weighs around 1 kg. However, a lot can be said about him too interesting facts. On the Internet, on one of the forums dedicated to animals, we found the diary of one married couple from the Moscow region, who acquired a pair of small slow lorises. This essay is huge - more than a hundred pages! Being loving owners, the husband and wife learned all the intricacies of keeping, communicating and feeding slow lorises in their own practice, constantly improved the living and feeding conditions of their charges, and helped shed light on hitherto unknown facts about the life of these wonderful pets.

First, a male was taken into the house. Almost from the very first days he showed himself to be a nimble, intelligent, affectionate and sociable animal; fell in love very quickly human hands and loved to sit on his palms cupped, eating his favorite delicacy - grapes. Constantly observing his grace, habits and funny poses, these people found out why the loris is called “fat”. Firstly, of course, for their touching toy “plushness”. Secondly, the loris has a dense, spherical tummy, like that of an avid beer drinker - it is very pronounced and is especially visible at the moment when the loris sits almost like a person, leaning on its hind limbs.

After 10 days, a female was taken - a mate for the growing male. The boy could not accept the girl for a long time, but not at all because of his youth, inexperience or a sense of territoriality. He was really “jealous” of his newly made companion towards the owners! As soon as one of the spouses picked up the female and caressed her, the male immediately began to worry, scream and snap, but several days passed and peace reigned in the loris family.

To observe the mysterious life of their pets, the couple purchased a night vision camera, which was installed in the terrarium. The image was broadcast on a TV screen located in the bedroom, so people could see everything that was happening with their pets during their nightly activity, without disturbing the peace of the animals. In the dark, left alone, the loris shook off their phlegmatic drowsiness - they actively moved, communicated, and made various sounds.

It turned out that another name - slow (slow great and slow little loris) is completely unsuitable for these animals! They are playful, agile, graceful and can have a lot of fun romping and misbehaving. The female called the male, he answered her, they sniffed, played, and then, having run around and eaten their belly, they sweetly fell asleep in the house in an embrace. The camera also captured how funny the lorises eat: sitting, taking a piece of food with their “hands,” almost like small human cubs.

Most people keep some kind of animal at home. Naturally, most often they turn out to be dogs or cats - nevertheless, they have been “cohabiting” with people for many centuries, although they have already lost (mostly) their utilitarian purpose. However, quite often people prefer to see something exotic in their apartment - even a crocodile in the bathroom (naturally, if you have two of them). In our opinion, these reptiles are not very successful as pet: no cuddle, no petting, no playing. But those who purchase a loris will get a lot of pleasure from the new inhabitant of the apartment.

Not to be confused with lemurs!

The correct name for these animals is slow loris. This is not a dirty name, but a scientific one. Animals are often called lemurs, although this is not entirely correct, and for several reasons.

First of all, the origins of the animals are completely different: the slow loris lives in Bangladesh, Indonesia and northeast India. Lemurs are brought from Madagascar, and this is quite far from the place where the loriki live.

The slow loris visually does not have a tail. Of course, he has it. But it is so small that it hides in thick fur, so you can only find it by touch.

Animals also differ in size. The slow loris does not exceed 38 centimeters in size, and its small variety only grows to 18. Lemurs reach 45 cm, and taking into account the tail, up to 60.

Structural features

However, the genus of loris has five representatives, among which it is quite possible to choose a safe “life partner.”

How to choose the right one

If you don’t want to be upset by your pet’s short lifespan and constant illnesses, take a closer look at the animal before purchasing it. And most importantly - how and where it is held former owner. A spacious and well-kept cage is required, and there should be no odor coming from it. The slow loris itself does not smell at home, as in the wild, so only an uncleaned house can stink.

It is better to adopt an animal at the age of six months - this makes it easier for the animal to get used to new faces and surroundings. The coat should be even and smooth; Bald spots indicate that either the animal is sick or it was poorly and improperly fed. The same applies to teeth - a color other than white again indicates an unbalanced diet or errors in care. Cloudy eyes or drooping eyelids also indicate the animal’s ill health.

Whom to take - a boy or a girl - depends on you. If you decide to get a couple, be prepared for the fact that the animals will not become tame: they will have enough communication with each other. But if you first take one loris, and after some time - a spouse for him, then both will willingly spend time with people.

Who should choose a cat or a dog?

But it’s worth thinking about the animal itself. Choose a different animal if your children are under five years old. Kids do not yet perceive admonitions on the topic “he is in pain” or “he is resting.” And the loris has a very independent character, and he also does not understand persuasion. So your child could be seriously bitten, and your acquisition risks getting sick from nervous tension.

Those who like to take pictures, and especially professional photographers, should also understand that this is not their animal - the slow loris. Its maintenance is not too difficult, but it does not allow frequent movement, and frequent photo flashes can blind the animal forever.

You can also show off your unusual animal only at home. If you carry it in your pocket for everyone to see, it won't last long. If you are annoyed by sounds during sleep, consider whether a lorik is right for you. Still, these are nocturnal animals, and their activity awakens at about eight in the evening. Some time later, the animal may learn some of your habits, but it will never become completely diurnal.

Food, home and domestication

As already mentioned, a cage for a loris is absolutely necessary. Moreover, it is quite large, with a tray into which you should not put filler - it is better to take old rags such as diapers. Cleaning will become much easier, and there will be no smell.

You should hang ropes and ropes in the cage, secure the branches so that the animal can climb all over it. You will need three feeders - for water, regular food and for vegetables or fruits. A house that can be made of fabric, suspended, or a wooden floor with a soft, warm bedding, will be very useful. You will also need a humidifier placed in the room. During the day, it is better to close the windows with curtains, since loris are sleeping at this time, and their eyes are very sensitive. And no drafts!

The food for these animals consists primarily of insects. In the summer, catch them yourself, in the winter you will have to buy (at least the same shrimps are well digestible, only they must be peeled, raw and not salted. Boiled ones will do chicken eggs, but not too often. Vegetables and fruits are presented in a wide assortment: pears, sour apples, grapes, bananas, mangoes, melons, cherries and watermelon, cabbage, lettuce, carrots, cucumbers and avocados - all warm, peeled, pitted and cut.

You need to accustom your acquisition to yourself slowly, patiently, but persistently. You cannot wake up the lorik, you cannot tear it away from the cage, but you must definitely release it into the wild so that it can explore the surroundings. These animals love to be scratched and touchingly raise their arms if they have not yet “combed” and you have stopped this wonderful procedure. Make sure that the animal does not crawl into any hole, especially if it is not yet smart - it may not understand how to get out of there and start crying.

In general, watching them is so interesting that you will forget about the TV. The main thing is to communicate with the loris more, so that he begins to trust you and willingly climbs into your arms or wanders around the apartment.

Thick lorises (popularly known as lemur loris) are a genus of funny, big-eyed animals belonging to the order of wet-nosed primates, which are often mistakenly called lemurs. From a zoological point of view, this is incorrect, since they belong to the infaorder Lorisiformes, and not lemuriformes. In addition, lemurs, as is known, are a family of prosimians that live exclusively in Madagascar, and slow lorises are distributed quite far from them - in South and Southeast Asia. Home external feature, which distinguishes lorises from lemurs - the absence long tail. They have it very small, reaching 1.5-2 cm. English speaking countries representatives of this genus are called “slow”, which is not at all surprising, because they are famous for their indifference to sudden movements.

Slow lorises are one of five genera of wild animals in the Loriaceae family, consisting of eight species, three of which have been formed quite recently. The main ones include the following types: Bengal loris, slow loris, Javan loris, Kalimantan loris and dwarf or small slow loris. In 2013, a study of some individuals that previously belonged to the Kalimantan lorises led to the identification of three more new species - N. borneanus, N. kayan and N. bancanus.

All representatives of the genus are included in the Red Book as vulnerable or endangered species. The export of slow lorises outside their native countries is prohibited by law and can result in fines and even imprisonment.

The habitat of rare animals extends from Bangladesh and Northeast India to the Philippines and from the Chinese province of Yunnan to the island of Java. They prefer tropical rainforests.

The size of slow lorises can vary depending on the species - body length ranges from 18 to 38 cm, and weight - from 300 grams to 1.5 kg. They are nocturnal animals, so nature has endowed them with large eyes with a reflective layer called tapetum, which allows them to see in the dark. The head is rounded, with a short muzzle. The eyes of all representatives of the genus are bordered by dark “glasses” and separated by a light stripe. Perhaps thanks to this appearance, reminiscent of a clown mask, scientists have given The animal has a corresponding name - translated from Dutch “loeris” means “clown”. The fur of slow lorises is soft and thick, its color varies from grayish to yellow, and the hair on the abdomen is lighter. Another distinctive feature is a dark stripe running from the neck along the entire spine. The ears are small and round. The hind and forelimbs are well developed, almost equal in length. All slow loris toes have nails, with the exception of the second toes. hind limbs, which are equipped with “cosmetic” claws designed for grooming.

Exotic representatives of the fauna world from Asia lead an arboreal lifestyle in natural environment habitat, practically without descending to the ground. They move with the help of four limbs, moving from branch to branch or moving along them along their length. Animals are endowed with an unusually strong grip of their arms and legs, which does not weaken throughout the day. This feature is explained special structure blood vessels of the extremities, providing intensive blood circulation and metabolism in the muscles during the movement of the animal.

Slow lorises lead night look life, spending most of(more than 90%) of the active period alone. Sometimes they can form pairs or small unstable groups. They spend the day curled up in a fork of tree branches and holding them tightly with their paws, or they are located in tree hollows and other suitable shelters that lie at a height. One slow loris can have more than 60 favorite places for relaxation. With the onset of darkness, the animals become animated and go hunting. They slowly travel along vines and tree branches, clinging to them with their fingers. To mark their territory, males regularly mark its boundaries, not forgetting to update these scent marks. While searching for food, they may accidentally encounter representatives of their own species, with whom their individual areas are adjacent. During such meetings, the animals touch each other, engage in mutual grooming, or communicate with each other through various poses. However, most often they receive information about a congener they have encountered through hearing and smell.

Compared to other mammals of similar size, slow lorises have an extremely slow metabolism, resulting in a very leisurely lifestyle. Their main feature is the smooth and somewhat slow nature of their movements, which helps them quietly sneak up on prey or hide from enemies. True, when lorises are not afraid, they are able to move quite quickly - for example, walking around the territory and leaving marks.

Depending on the time of year, the animals' diet consists of varying proportions of fruits, plants, tree resin, bird eggs, nectar, insects, terrestrial mollusks and small vertebrates. Animals catch insects with one or both hands, often grabbing branches with their hind limbs for better balance. To the main natural enemies Slow lorises include orangutans, pythons and changeable crested eagles.

Males reach sexual maturity at the age of 17-20 months, females at 18-24 months. Pregnancy lasts 180-190 days, after which the female gives birth to one or two cubs. Newborn lorises hold tightly to their mother’s fur for the first 14 days. Sometimes the female carefully removes the baby and places it in a hollow tree or a secluded fork in the branches, where it sits quietly and unnoticed while the mother forages for food. In case of discomfort, the cub emits a loud chirp, and the female hurries to him. It is believed that in the wild the male does not take part in raising the offspring, but in captivity they can take the cubs and carry them on themselves until they get hungry and want to return to the nurse. After 5-7 months, the baby is separated from the mother’s care, and at the age of 1-1.5 years he becomes old enough to live independently. In captivity, the life expectancy of representatives of the Loriidae family is 20-25 years.

Thick lorises are not the most talkative primates - they use sounds mainly to signal aggression, anxiety, and for communication between the cub and mother.

Despite the fact that international trade in slow lorises is prohibited and threatens to reduce their population, poachers continue to actively catch and export them for the purpose of selling them as pets. At the same time, the transportation of animals does not take place, to put it mildly, under the most favorable conditions and many of them die on the road. Mass deforestation of tropical forests, inhabited by these arboreal animals, also poses a serious danger. The World Wildlife Fund is making every effort to increase the population of slow lorises, promoting their breeding in reserves and in captivity.