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A Gray Slender Loris, cute as can be
This is (sub)specifically Loris lydekkerianus grandis, the Highland Gray Slender Loris. We spotted the eyeshine on this little cutie, and our guide got it to climb onto a broken off branch about five feet long. From there we took a bunch of photos before letting it climb back onto its original branch.
The gray slender loris is a species of primate in the family Loridae. It is found in India and Sri Lanka. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat loss. The species was previously considered as ''Loris tardigradus lydekkerianus'' but ''Loris tardigradus'' is now a separate species found in Sri Lanka. This species has been divided into several geographically separated subspecies.
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This cutie is a gray slender loris (Loris lydekkerianus)! They are nocturnal, arboreal primates that can be found in the forests of Sri Lanka and India. The adults only weigh about 9 oz and are known for their wide eyes, scrawny limbs, and toilet claws. Yes, you read that correctly. Lorises have toilet claws, which are specialized claws that are used for grooming and scratching. They also have a habit of washing their faces and limbs with urine. This could be a stress response, a method of communication, to soothe insect bites, or there could be some unknown reason. Perhaps they just like the smell of urine. Another interesting feature is that they are unusually social when compared to other lorises. They gray slender loris spends the daytime hours nestled in “sleep balls” of up to seven individuals. As far as their diet, they are insectivores and can impact populations of ants and termites through predation. But, as part of the food web, the lorises are in turn gobbled up by larger predators living in their habitat. {Spotted in Sri Lanka by JungleDragon moderator, John Sullivan} #JungleDragon #Loris #SriLanka #Grayslenderloris #Lorislydekkerianus
https://www.facebook.com/jungledragonwildlife/ Posted 3 years ago