Red Slender Loris

Article number-07
Manesha Fernando

With a weight of just 100-170 grams yet with a lifespan of up to 18 years in the wild, these endemic creatures quite interestingly share their sleeping sites up on tall trees. Inhabiting the wet zone of Sri Lanka and currently listed as “endangered” by the IUCN Red List (2016), this animal is the Red Slender Loris (Loris tardigradus). The two subspecies include the Loris tardigradus tardigradus (in the low country wet zone) and the Loris tardigradus nycticeboides (in up country forests).
The red-brown huge eyes on its face immediately attract the attention of any person. Tapetum lucidum; a reflective layer at the back of the retina gives these nocturnal animals an excellent night vision and the title of a good predator. Its prey includes a variety of insects, lizards, geckos and frogs. Thin arms and legs are what help these creatures remain arboreal however they do not have tails. Instead, they have highly flexible wrists, ankles, a big toe and thumb for powerful grip. The females have two litters per year in which one to two young are produced.
Let us protect these ecologically important endemic assets of Mother Lanka!