One of the 3 slow lorises on WAnimals
Mammals · Primates · Lorisidae
Greater Slow Loris
Nycticebus coucang
It faces a very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future. See full glossary
It is one of the few venomous primates in the world: it mixes a glandular secretion from its arm with saliva to produce a toxic bite that can cause anaphylactic shock in people. It is one of the most heavily trafficked species in the exotic pet trade.
Weight
599 g – 685 g
Size
27 cm – 38 cm
Lifespan
20 years
Diet
Omnivore
Combines animal and plant food depending on availability.
Activity
Nocturnal
Active mainly at night.
Social structure
Solitary
Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.
Sighting difficulty
Hard
Fun facts
- fisiologíaIt is one of the few venomous primates: a gland on its arm produces a toxic secretion it mixes with saliva before biting.
Life cycle & biology
- Skeleton type
- Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
- Habitat & environment
- Continuous-canopy tropical rainforest of Indonesia, peninsular Malaysia, southern Thailand and Singapore
- Birth weight
- Exact weight at birth not found as a precise figure
- Size at birth
- Well developed, able to cling to its mother's fur from birth
- Sexual maturity
- Female: 18-24 months | Male: ~17-20 months
- Gestation / incubation
- 192 days (~6.3 months)
- Litter / clutch size
- 1 young
- Lifespan in captivity
- Documented record of up to 25.8-26.5 years in captivity
Sources consulted: Thai National Parks; AnAge; Animalia.bio; The Animal Facts; PubMed; Wikipedia; Britannica
Where to find it
See its range on the interactive mapBest time: All year round in Sumatra, the Malay Peninsula and Borneo, at night; it is found with a torch by the reflection of its large eyes.
Where 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 Greater Slow Loris — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
Red Slender Loris
Loris tardigradus
Bengal Slow Loris
Nycticebus bengalensis
Large Flying-fox
Pteropus vampyrus
EndangeredLong-tailed Macaque
Macaca fascicularis
EndangeredTiger
Panthera tigris
EndangeredMalayan Tapir
Tapirus indicus
How to help
The greater slow 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 6 real protected areas — part of why protecting these places matters for its conservation.
Keep exploring
Based on what we already know about greater slow loris.
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