One of the 3 slow lorises on WAnimals
Mammals · Primates · Lorisidae
Red Slender Loris
Loris tardigradus
It faces a very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future. See full glossary
The red slender loris is a tiny nocturnal primate endemic to Sri Lanka, with extremely thin limbs, a slender body and enormous, staring eyes. It feeds almost entirely on insects, which it catches with a surprisingly quick movement after approaching in slow motion. It lives in the wet half of the island, in forests that have been drastically reduced by farming and tea plantations. It is one of the priority species of the EDGE programme for its evolutionary distinctiveness.
Weight
100 g – 170 g
Size
18 cm – 25 cm
Lifespan
15 years
Diet
Carnivore
Feeds mainly on other animals.
Activity
Nocturnal
Active mainly at night.
Social structure
Solitary
Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.
Sighting difficulty
Hard
Fun facts
- comportamientoUnlike the slow loris it is quicker and more restless, and lives mainly in Sri Lanka and southern India.
- It smears urine on its hands and feet before climbing, a behaviour called urine washing that serves to leave scent trails along its usual routes and, perhaps, to improve its grip.
- Its eyes are enormous in proportion to its skull and set so close together that they give it excellent stereoscopic vision in the dark, essential for judging leaps between thin branches.
Life cycle & biology
- Skeleton type
- Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
- Habitat & environment
- Lowland rainforest and montane forest of south-western Sri Lanka
- Sexual maturity
- 12.5 months
- Gestation / incubation
- 5.5 months
- Litter / clutch size
- 1.3 (average)
Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loris_tardigradus
Where to find it
See its range on the interactive mapWhere to watch it
Parks and dive sites where this species has been documented.
Related species
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Red Slender Loris — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
Greater Slow Loris
Nycticebus coucang
Bengal Slow Loris
Nycticebus bengalensis
Indian Pangolin
Manis crassicaudata
VulnerableLeopard
Panthera pardus
Ceylon Caecilian
Ichthyophis glutinosus
Common Palm Civet
Paradoxurus hermaphroditus
How to help
The red slender loris is classified as endangered. Organizations such as UICN, WWF y Wildlife Conservation Society work specifically on its conservation and that of its habitat; looking into their programs is a good starting point if you want to get involved.
It's documented in 2 real protected areas — part of why protecting these places matters for its conservation.
Keep exploring
Based on what we already know about red slender loris.
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