About
Previously thought to be a subspecies of the Sunda slow loris, the Javan slow loris was classified as a separate species in the 2000s.
Slow lorises produce a toxin in glands on the inside of their elbows which they spread across their bodies while grooming, as well as using it in their painful bites. They are similar to other lorises, as they are nocturnal and arboreal, using vines and lianas to climb. They are the largest of the Indonesian slow lorises.
The main threat facing the Javan slow loris is extensive habitat destruction and fragmentation. Other threats include being captured for use in the pet trade, and to a lesser extent for traditional beliefs and folk medicines. Lorises share common ancestry with ‘primitive’ primates, such as the bushbabies of Africa and the lemurs of Madagascar, with the Lorisidae family having emerged and evolved independently for at least 20 million years.
- Order: Primates
- Family: Lorisidae
- Population: Unknown
- Trend: decreasing
- Size: 293mm
- Weight: 565-687g
EDGE Score
Distribution
The Javan slow loris is known from provinces of Banten, West Java and at least as far east as the western part of East Java in Indonesia.
Habitat and Ecology
The Javan slow loris inhabit primary and secondary forests, as well as bamboo and mangrove forests, and chocolate plantations. Their diet consists of fruit, tree gum, insects, lizards and eggs.
