Lorisidae

   Lorisidae (or sometimes Loridae) is a family of strepsirrhine primates. The lorids are all slim arboreal animals and include the lorises, pottosand angwantibos. Lorids live in tropical, central Africa as well as in south and southeast Asia.

Physical Characteristics

Lorids have a close, woolly fur which is usually grey or brown colored, 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 a weight of between 0.3 and 2 kg, depending on the species. Their dental formula is similar to that of lemurs: 

Behavior

Lorids are diurnal and arboreal. Unlike the closely related galagos, lorids never jump. Some have slow deliberate movements, whilst others can move with some speed across branches. It was previously thought that all lorids moved slowly, but investigations using red light proved this to be wrong. Nonetheless, even 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.^[2] With their strong hands they clasp at the branches and cannot be removed without significant force. Most lorids are solitary or live in small family groups.

Diet

The main diet of most lorids consists of insects, but they also consume bird eggs and small vertebrates as well as fruits and sap.

Reproduction

Lorids have a gestation period of four to six months and give birth to two young. These often clasp themselves to the belly of the mother or wait in nests, while the mother goes to search for food. After three to nine months - depending upon species - they are weaned and are fully mature within ten to eighteen months. The life expectancy of the lorises can be to up to 20 years.

Classification

There are five genera and nine species of lorid.^[1]

• Order Primates
  • Suborder Strepsirrhini: non-tarsier prosimians
    • Infraorder Lemuriformes
    • Infraorder Lorisiformes
      • Family Lorisidae
        • Subfamily Perodicticinae
          • Genus Arctocebus
            • Calabar Angwantibo, Arctocebus calabarensis
            • Golden Angwantibo, Arctocebus aureus
          • Genus Perodicticus
            • Potto, Perodicticus potto
          • Genus Pseudopotto
            • False Potto, Pseudopotto martini
        • Subfamily Lorinae
          • Genus Loris
            • Red Slender Loris, Loris tardigradus
            • Gray Slender Loris, Loris lydekkerianus
          • Genus Nycticebus
            • Sunda Loris, Nycticebus coucang
            • Bengal Slow Loris, Nycticebus bengalensis
            • Pygmy Slow Loris, Nycticebus pygmaeus
      • Family Galagidae: galagos
  • Suborder Haplorrhini: tarsiers, monkeys and apes