1 00:00:01,840 --> 00:00:07,600 Speaker 1: Welcome to Brainstuff, a production of iHeartRadio, Hey brain Stuff 2 00:00:07,640 --> 00:00:13,040 Speaker 1: Lauren vogelbaumb Here. Slow lorises are small primates with fuzzy 3 00:00:13,039 --> 00:00:16,640 Speaker 1: fur round heads, a small snout in ears, and wide 4 00:00:16,760 --> 00:00:19,440 Speaker 1: saucer like eyes that make them look like nothing more 5 00:00:19,440 --> 00:00:23,040 Speaker 1: than toys from the Thai beanie line come to life. 6 00:00:23,400 --> 00:00:26,759 Speaker 1: But as with wild animals in general, you shouldn't go 7 00:00:26,800 --> 00:00:30,360 Speaker 1: in for a cuddle. Slow lorises are the only genus 8 00:00:30,400 --> 00:00:35,320 Speaker 1: of venomous primates. When threatened, they raise their arms and 9 00:00:35,360 --> 00:00:38,640 Speaker 1: licked the oils secreted from glands in their armpits, which 10 00:00:38,680 --> 00:00:41,839 Speaker 1: then mixes with their saliva and pools in grooves on 11 00:00:41,880 --> 00:00:47,080 Speaker 1: their specialized comb like lower front teeth. Their resulting venomous 12 00:00:47,080 --> 00:00:51,280 Speaker 1: bite can cause necrosis or anaphylactic shock in humans, leading 13 00:00:51,280 --> 00:00:55,440 Speaker 1: to a nasty wound or even death. There are nine 14 00:00:55,520 --> 00:00:58,160 Speaker 1: or so species of slow loris that all live in 15 00:00:58,200 --> 00:01:01,040 Speaker 1: the forests of South and Southeast Asia and spend most 16 00:01:01,040 --> 00:01:04,160 Speaker 1: of their lives up in the trees. They have compact 17 00:01:04,200 --> 00:01:07,040 Speaker 1: bodies with only a small stump of a tail, and 18 00:01:07,080 --> 00:01:10,440 Speaker 1: all four limbs have long fingers and toes that let 19 00:01:10,480 --> 00:01:14,880 Speaker 1: them grasp branches, vines, and other objects. They have dense, 20 00:01:14,920 --> 00:01:18,080 Speaker 1: short fur in shades ranging from brown to reddish to 21 00:01:18,160 --> 00:01:21,559 Speaker 1: tan to white, often with a distinctive pattern on their face, 22 00:01:21,720 --> 00:01:25,680 Speaker 1: with lighter cheeks and forehead markings surrounding darker fur around 23 00:01:25,680 --> 00:01:28,679 Speaker 1: their eyes and making their eyes appear even bigger than 24 00:01:28,680 --> 00:01:32,319 Speaker 1: they are. The word loris comes from a Dutch word 25 00:01:32,400 --> 00:01:37,080 Speaker 1: meaning clown, alluding to those facial markings. The slow part 26 00:01:37,120 --> 00:01:40,920 Speaker 1: is fairly literal. A lorius can hang still from branches 27 00:01:41,040 --> 00:01:44,240 Speaker 1: for long periods of time to hide from prey or predators, 28 00:01:44,520 --> 00:01:47,280 Speaker 1: a thanks in part to specialized blood vessels in their 29 00:01:47,319 --> 00:01:51,920 Speaker 1: wrists and ankles, though their side varies by species. They 30 00:01:52,000 --> 00:01:54,600 Speaker 1: tend to range from about seven to fifteen inches long 31 00:01:54,640 --> 00:01:58,000 Speaker 1: from nose to butt that's about eighteen to thirty eight centimeters, 32 00:01:58,200 --> 00:02:00,880 Speaker 1: and they can weigh from just nine ounces to over 33 00:02:00,920 --> 00:02:03,480 Speaker 1: four and a half pounds that's about two hundred and 34 00:02:03,520 --> 00:02:07,840 Speaker 1: fifty grams to over two kilos, so we're talking about 35 00:02:08,000 --> 00:02:11,160 Speaker 1: kitten sized if cats are a familiar unit of measurement 36 00:02:11,200 --> 00:02:15,440 Speaker 1: for you, light cats, slow Loris's eyes have what's called 37 00:02:15,480 --> 00:02:19,240 Speaker 1: a tapitum lucidum that is a light reflecting surface behind 38 00:02:19,240 --> 00:02:21,440 Speaker 1: the retina that helps them see better in the dark 39 00:02:21,680 --> 00:02:24,440 Speaker 1: because it gives their retina another chance to sense the light. 40 00:02:25,880 --> 00:02:29,639 Speaker 1: Humans and other Haplerini primates lack this feature, which is 41 00:02:29,680 --> 00:02:31,960 Speaker 1: why our eyes don't appear to shine in the dark 42 00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:34,919 Speaker 1: the way that cats or dog's eyes do. This is 43 00:02:34,960 --> 00:02:38,360 Speaker 1: because humans are mostly active during the day, but slow 44 00:02:38,400 --> 00:02:42,920 Speaker 1: lorises are mostly nocturnal. They live in the branches of 45 00:02:42,960 --> 00:02:46,640 Speaker 1: bamboo and hardwood forests, usually sleeping during the day in 46 00:02:46,720 --> 00:02:51,200 Speaker 1: crevices or hollows. For water, they lick dew off of leaves. 47 00:02:52,120 --> 00:02:56,400 Speaker 1: Loriuses are considered opportunistic hunters. They use their excellent sense 48 00:02:56,400 --> 00:02:59,160 Speaker 1: of smell to hunt for insects and other small prey, 49 00:02:59,520 --> 00:03:04,160 Speaker 1: making slow, deliberate movements. They'll also eat fruit, nectar, and 50 00:03:04,280 --> 00:03:06,680 Speaker 1: tree gum, which is a sugary sap that they extract 51 00:03:06,720 --> 00:03:09,800 Speaker 1: from trees using that lower jaw tooth comb that I 52 00:03:09,880 --> 00:03:14,480 Speaker 1: mentioned a minute ago. In their natural habitats, lorises are 53 00:03:14,600 --> 00:03:17,480 Speaker 1: thus an important part of the food chain. They help 54 00:03:17,560 --> 00:03:21,960 Speaker 1: control insect populations, and they spread pollen between flowers and 55 00:03:22,120 --> 00:03:25,239 Speaker 1: seeds through their poop, which they deposit on the forest floor, 56 00:03:25,880 --> 00:03:28,079 Speaker 1: which is pretty much the only time they spend out 57 00:03:28,080 --> 00:03:32,000 Speaker 1: of the trees as so to avoid predators, but they 58 00:03:32,040 --> 00:03:36,160 Speaker 1: do serve as prey for larger arboreal animals like snakes, eagles, 59 00:03:36,160 --> 00:03:40,600 Speaker 1: and orangutans. Slow Loris's venom system is thought to be 60 00:03:40,600 --> 00:03:43,600 Speaker 1: one of the most complex on Earth. It's the only 61 00:03:43,640 --> 00:03:45,840 Speaker 1: one we know of that has two components that the 62 00:03:45,840 --> 00:03:49,240 Speaker 1: animal has to mix the oil from its underarm gland 63 00:03:49,360 --> 00:03:53,880 Speaker 1: and its saliva, both of which are each unpleasant alone, 64 00:03:54,080 --> 00:03:58,400 Speaker 1: but together they're potentially deadly to invertebrates and mammals, including 65 00:03:58,400 --> 00:04:02,040 Speaker 1: other slow lorises. It's thought that their diet, and perhaps 66 00:04:02,200 --> 00:04:06,240 Speaker 1: especially those tree gums, is how they obtain these toxic compounds. 67 00:04:07,200 --> 00:04:10,560 Speaker 1: Competition amongst low lorises seems to be the primary use 68 00:04:10,600 --> 00:04:13,320 Speaker 1: of their venom, though it may also help them prevent 69 00:04:13,360 --> 00:04:18,080 Speaker 1: attack from parasitic insects and arachnids. For the article, this 70 00:04:18,120 --> 00:04:20,599 Speaker 1: episode is based on How Stuff Works check down with 71 00:04:20,680 --> 00:04:24,320 Speaker 1: researchers at the Duke Lemur Center at Duke University. Although 72 00:04:24,360 --> 00:04:27,880 Speaker 1: they no longer house lorises at the center, how Stuff 73 00:04:27,880 --> 00:04:31,200 Speaker 1: Works spoke via email Anna Lie, an education technician there. 74 00:04:32,040 --> 00:04:37,039 Speaker 1: She said, when two lorises cross paths, interactions are generally positive, 75 00:04:37,440 --> 00:04:41,120 Speaker 1: grooming instead of fighting. In the wild, males and females 76 00:04:41,160 --> 00:04:43,880 Speaker 1: will occasionally remain in the same space while their offspring 77 00:04:43,880 --> 00:04:47,160 Speaker 1: are young, forming small family groups until the offspring get 78 00:04:47,200 --> 00:04:51,040 Speaker 1: older and disperse. These groups groom each other and sleep 79 00:04:51,080 --> 00:04:54,120 Speaker 1: in contact with one another, but they frequently forage alone 80 00:04:54,360 --> 00:04:57,160 Speaker 1: and there doesn't seem to be a clear dominant structure 81 00:04:59,160 --> 00:05:01,480 Speaker 1: in the wild. That family time can last up to 82 00:05:01,560 --> 00:05:03,920 Speaker 1: three years of a total of a ten to twenty 83 00:05:04,000 --> 00:05:09,800 Speaker 1: year lifespan, but lorises seem more territorial in captivity. It's 84 00:05:09,920 --> 00:05:13,359 Speaker 1: difficult to find and follow loris' in their remote rainforest 85 00:05:13,360 --> 00:05:18,080 Speaker 1: habitats because they're endangered. Duke researchers were interested in following 86 00:05:18,120 --> 00:05:21,800 Speaker 1: their life history, studying questions like how long female animals 87 00:05:21,920 --> 00:05:24,520 Speaker 1: nurse their young and how long they live in human care. 88 00:05:25,800 --> 00:05:29,320 Speaker 1: Ali said learning how to care for and eventually breed 89 00:05:29,360 --> 00:05:33,039 Speaker 1: them successfully in human care is important for their continued survival. 90 00:05:33,760 --> 00:05:36,120 Speaker 1: All breeding was done at the recommendation of a species 91 00:05:36,200 --> 00:05:40,280 Speaker 1: survival plan, which helps avoid overbreeding and maintains healthy genetics 92 00:05:40,320 --> 00:05:43,479 Speaker 1: for all slow lorises in human care. While we no 93 00:05:43,560 --> 00:05:46,279 Speaker 1: longer house them ourselves, what we learned during the years 94 00:05:46,320 --> 00:05:49,040 Speaker 1: we did keep slow lorises continues to help the colony 95 00:05:49,080 --> 00:05:54,160 Speaker 1: in human care at other facilities Today. How stuffworks also 96 00:05:54,160 --> 00:05:57,320 Speaker 1: spoke by email with Lee's colleague Jody Stark, an animal 97 00:05:57,360 --> 00:05:59,560 Speaker 1: care technician who worked with the slow loss when they 98 00:05:59,560 --> 00:06:02,600 Speaker 1: were at the Duke Glamer Center. She said that they 99 00:06:02,640 --> 00:06:07,680 Speaker 1: exhibited distinctive personalities quote. Some are very shy or stand offish, 100 00:06:07,839 --> 00:06:11,320 Speaker 1: while others are outgoing, curious and interactive with the staff. 101 00:06:13,120 --> 00:06:15,720 Speaker 1: The biggest threats to the survival of slow lorises are 102 00:06:15,800 --> 00:06:19,680 Speaker 1: twofold and man made, the degradation of its habitat, and 103 00:06:19,880 --> 00:06:23,680 Speaker 1: direct human interaction such as hunting or attempting to domesticate them. 104 00:06:25,000 --> 00:06:27,880 Speaker 1: Because of these and other threats, all species of slow 105 00:06:27,920 --> 00:06:31,800 Speaker 1: loris are listed somewhere from vulnerable to critically endangered by 106 00:06:31,800 --> 00:06:36,240 Speaker 1: the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A note here 107 00:06:36,440 --> 00:06:40,679 Speaker 1: that non human primates, including slow lorises, don't make good pets, 108 00:06:40,920 --> 00:06:44,400 Speaker 1: and trying to domesticate them isn't fair to them. Lorises 109 00:06:44,440 --> 00:06:49,560 Speaker 1: are meant to live with other lorises, not people. Lisaid. 110 00:06:50,120 --> 00:06:54,120 Speaker 1: Slow lorises rely on undisturbed rainforests to live in something 111 00:06:54,200 --> 00:06:57,680 Speaker 1: that's in short supply in our ever changing world. Some 112 00:06:57,760 --> 00:07:00,680 Speaker 1: are hunted for bush meat or use in tradition medicines, 113 00:07:00,839 --> 00:07:04,080 Speaker 1: while other slow lorises are kept as props for tourists 114 00:07:04,160 --> 00:07:07,919 Speaker 1: or sold into the international pet trade. With their distinctive 115 00:07:07,960 --> 00:07:12,160 Speaker 1: giant eyes and slow speed, lorises are frequent viral video stars, 116 00:07:12,440 --> 00:07:16,520 Speaker 1: driving up the practice of keeping them. As always, social 117 00:07:16,560 --> 00:07:19,840 Speaker 1: media doesn't tell the full story. Lorises taken from the 118 00:07:19,840 --> 00:07:23,560 Speaker 1: wild frequently have their teeth removed to prevent dangerous bites, 119 00:07:23,640 --> 00:07:26,920 Speaker 1: and their arm raising behavior seen in videos of tickling, 120 00:07:27,200 --> 00:07:32,720 Speaker 1: is a defensive posture used against threats like humans. I 121 00:07:32,960 --> 00:07:36,080 Speaker 1: would add here that due to the toxins and slow 122 00:07:36,160 --> 00:07:40,000 Speaker 1: lors saliva, humans who have handled or pet alorus have 123 00:07:40,080 --> 00:07:43,400 Speaker 1: been known to experience symptoms like numbness in their hands 124 00:07:43,400 --> 00:07:47,320 Speaker 1: and feet and even blood in their urine. Furry animals 125 00:07:47,360 --> 00:07:49,640 Speaker 1: often have heavy traces of their own saliva on their 126 00:07:49,680 --> 00:07:54,280 Speaker 1: fur from grooming. There are some programs working to help 127 00:07:54,320 --> 00:07:57,800 Speaker 1: slow lorises out in the wild. For example, on the 128 00:07:57,800 --> 00:08:01,680 Speaker 1: Indonesian island of Java, natural habitat has shrunk by as 129 00:08:01,720 --> 00:08:05,760 Speaker 1: much as ninety percent, so primate research groups are building 130 00:08:05,840 --> 00:08:10,160 Speaker 1: and installing loris bridges using irrigation tubing to connect spots 131 00:08:10,160 --> 00:08:13,520 Speaker 1: in the treetops so the lorises aren't isolated from their 132 00:08:13,520 --> 00:08:21,520 Speaker 1: home ranges. Today's episode is based on the article slow 133 00:08:21,560 --> 00:08:24,680 Speaker 1: Loris is a cuddly looking primate with a toxic bite 134 00:08:24,760 --> 00:08:27,880 Speaker 1: on how stuffworks dot Com, written by Patty Rasmusen. Brain 135 00:08:27,920 --> 00:08:30,640 Speaker 1: Stuff is production of iHeartRadio in partnership with how stuffworks 136 00:08:30,640 --> 00:08:33,319 Speaker 1: dot Com and is produced by Tyler Klaang. For more 137 00:08:33,360 --> 00:08:37,080 Speaker 1: podcasts my heart Radio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 138 00:08:37,160 --> 00:08:49,480 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.