Bengal slow loris

Bengal slow loris ( Nycticebus bengalensis )

The Bengal slow loris ( Nycticebus bengalensis ) is a primate of the family of Loris ( Lorisidae ). Bengal slow lorises are very difficult to observe because of their secret life in the wild. Most knowledge about the habits of these wet nose monkeys comes from the attitude in zoological gardens.

Features

Bengal slow lorises are among the greatest representatives of Loris, in the size and coat color, however, there is great variance. The body length is 30 to 38 centimeters, the tail is missing and the weight is 1.5 to 2 kilograms. The coat is short and dense, its color ranges from white to gray gray-brown, the underside is lighter. In the hands of the second finger is greatly reduced, the second toe wear the typical wet nose monkeys plaster claws. The eyes are large, round and facing forward, the ears are small and round.

Distribution and habitat

These primates are native to Southeast Asia, their range extends from eastern India and Bangladesh and southern China into southern Thailand. Their habitat is tropical rain forests and other forest types, they come down to 2,400 meters above sea level before.

Way of life

Bengal slow lorises are nocturnal and arboreal, the day curl up to sleep in the dense vegetation. At night, they go looking for food, and their movements are slow and deliberate. Thanks to its modified hands they have a firm grip on the branches, which is hard to solve by force. They live largely solitary.

The food of the animals composed mainly of fruits and tree sap, as compared with other Loris they eat relatively few insects. When hunting insects, the Bengal slow loris behaves very unusual. He approaches the insect up to about one meter distance, then depends on its hind legs to almost completely while he holds with his hind feet and then leaves with his entire body fall forward, where he grabs with both hands after the insect.

Endangering

Main threats to the Bengal slow loris are the destruction of their habitat and hunting. The reasons for hunting are their meat, which is eaten, traditional medicine and because they are made for pets. The attitude as pets takes place mainly in Japan, China and the countries in which the animals occur naturally. Pluploris are considered particularly cute and trusting, because they can pick up without a fight. Silent but persistence is part of the defense strategy of the animals. Also the start of primates is very easy to override this behavior for humans. Pluploris are the most found, endangered species on the markets of South -East Asia. The animals their fangs are after catching most clipped or pulled with Nagelkneifern or other tool, which even often leads to severe inflammation or death. So far, the natural feeding behavior of nocturnal animals is poorly understood, therefore, many die slow lorises in captivity due to malnutrition. The IUCN is concerned that the total population in the next three generations ( 21-24 years) will fall by over 30 % and lists the species as "endangered" ( vulnerable ).