Slow Loris:
Villagers in Shimla Bagan, located in the Shantipur area on the Indo-Bhutan border in Chirang District, Assam, have reported the sighting of a rare species of the endangered primate Slow Lorris.
- Slow Loris found exclusively in South and Southeast Asia, slow lorises are the world’s only venomous primates.
- They’re arboreal—meaning they live in trees—and can be spotted curling up to sleep in branches or using vines and leaves to get around.
- They typically only come down to the forest floor when they need to defecate.
- There are nine species of slow loris. They all belong to the same genus, with each species sharing many similar characteristics and behaviours.
- The nine species include the Philippine slow loris, Bengal slow loris, greater slow loris, Kayan slow loris, Bangka slow loris, Bornean slow loris, Sumatran slow loris, Javan slow loris, and pygmy slow loris.
- Bengal slow loris (Nycticebus bengalensis) is listed as Endangered in the IUCN Red List. It is also legally protected under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
- The range of the Bengal slow lorisextends from Vietnam to China, but in India, it is confined to India’s northeast.
