Lorises are a group of bizarre large-eyed alien-looking nocturnal primates belonging to the subfamily “Lorinae”. And if that isn’t enough, they are also one of the few venomous mammals that exist on our planet!
There are 11 living species of loris, split into 3 main groups: the slender lorises, slow lorises and pygmy slow lorises. Lorises are only found in Asia, specifically in India, Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia.
All lorises are strictly nocturnal and arboreal, meaning they are active at night and live in trees. They generally sleep during the day and only come out at night from their tree-hollow or leaf-made nests. They are extremely slow-moving and will slowly scour the trees in the hunt for insects and other small creatures, though some species also eat fruit and plant material.
Threats to Lorises
Loris populations have declined significantly across the board in recent history due to poaching and habitat loss. In terms of poaching, this comes from 1) the erroneous belief that lorises have magical healing properties to be used in traditional medicine, and 2) for the illegal pet trade – both of which have caused over 80% reductions in the populations of all species of loris over the past few generations.
Lorises in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka is home to just two species of loris – the slender lorises: the grey slender loris (Loris lydekkerianus) and the red slender loris (Loris tardigradus).
Slender lorises are the most carnivorous of all lorises, with their primary food source being insects. Though the grey slender loris will also occasionally eat bird eggs, lizards, and some berries and plant material.
