6-435: Lorisidae Lorisoidea is a superfamily of nocturnal primates found throughout Africa and Asia. Members include the galagos and the lorisids . As strepsirrhines , lorisoids are related to the lemurs of Madagascar and are sometimes included in the infraorder Lemuriformes , although they are also sometimes placed in their own infraorder, Lorisiformes Gregory , 1915 . This primate -related article
12-500: A secretion from their brachial gland (a scent gland on the upper arm, between the axilla and elbow), that is licked and mixed with their saliva to form a toxin which may be used for defense. The red slender loris ( Loris tardigradus ) from India also possesses brachial glands, but it is uncertain whether they also synthesize the toxin. The potto ( Perodicticus potto ) is thought to lack brachial glands, though it produces similar toxic excretions with its anal glands. Lorisids have
18-412: A close, woolly fur, which is usually grey or brown, darker on the top side. The eyes are large and face forward. The ears are small and often partially hidden in the fur. The thumbs are opposable and the index finger is short. The second toe of the hind legs has a fine claw for grooming, typical for strepsirrhines. Their tails are short or are missing completely. They grow to a length of 17 to 40 cm and
24-471: A weight of between 0.3 and 2 kg, depending on the species. Their dental formula is similar to that of lemurs : 2.1.3.3 2.1.3.3 Lorisids are nocturnal and arboreal . Unlike the closely related galagos , lorisids never jump. Some have slow deliberate movements, whilst others can move with some speed across branches. It was previously thought that all lorisids moved slowly, but investigations using red light proved this to be wrong. Nonetheless, even
30-508: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Lorisidae Arctocebus Perodicticus Loris Nycticebus Xanthonycticebus Lorisidae (or sometimes Loridae ) is a family of strepsirrhine primates . The lorisids are all slim arboreal animals and comprise the lorises , pottos , and angwantibos . Lorisids live in tropical, central Africa as well as in south and southeast Asia . There are five genera and sixteen species of lorisid. Lorisids have
36-459: The faster species freeze or move slowly if they hear or see any potential predator. This habit of remaining motionless whilst in danger is successful only because of the leafy environment of their jungle home, which helps to conceal their true position. With their strong hands they clasp at the branches and cannot be removed without significant force. Most lorisids are solitary or live in small family groups. Slow lorises from southeast Asia produce
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