Editing Red slender loris

{{Short description|Species of primate}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2020}}
{{Speciesbox 
| name = Red slender loris<ref name=msw3>{{MSW3 Groves|pages=122|id=12100111}}</ref>
| image = Loris tardigradus tardigradus 001.jpg
| status = EN
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref =<ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=Gamage, S.N. |author2=Nekaris, K.A.I. |author3=Rudran, R. |date=2020 |title=''Loris tardigradus'' |volume=2020 |page=e.T12375A17970163 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T12375A17970163.en |access-date=19 November 2021}}</ref>
| genus = Loris
| species = tardigradus
| authority = ([[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], 1758)<ref>{{cite book|last=Linnæus|first=Carl|title=Systema naturæ per regna tria naturæ, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I|year=1758|publisher=Laurentius Salvius|location=Holmiæ|pages=29|url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/80764#page/39/mode/1up|edition=10th|access-date=21 November 2012|language=la}}</ref> 
| subdivision_ranks = Subspecies
| subdivision =
* ''L. tardigradus nycticeboides'' <small>([[William Charles Osman Hill|Hill]],&nbsp;1942)</small>
* ''L. tardigradus tardigradus'' <small>([[Carl Linnaeus|L.]],&nbsp;1758)</small>
| range_map = Red Slender Loris area.png
| range_map_caption = Red slender loris range
| synonyms = ''Lemur tardigradus'' <small>Linnaeus,&nbsp;1758</small>
}}

The '''red slender loris''' ('''''Loris tardigradus''''') is a small, nocturnal [[Strepsirrhini|strepsirrhine]] [[primate]] native to the [[rainforest]]s of [[Sri Lanka]]. This is {{abbr|No.|number}} 6 of the 10 focal species and No. 22 of the 100 [[EDGE Species|EDGE mammal species]] worldwide considered the most evolutionarily distinct and globally endangered.<ref>{{cite web | work = edgeofexistence.org | access-date = 13 August 2007 | url = http://www.edgeofexistence.org/species/species_info.asp?id=22 | title = Slender loris |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070701144145/http://www.edgeofexistence.org/species/species_info.asp?id=22 <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 1 July 2007}}</ref> Two subspecies have been identified, ''L. t. tardigradus'' and ''L. t. nycticeboides''.<ref name=msw3/>

==Taxonomy==
* Genus ''[[Loris]]''
** '''Red slender loris, ''Loris tardigradus'''''
*** Horton Plains slender loris or mountain loris, ''Loris tardigradus nycticeboides''
*** Dry zone slender loris or lowland loris, ''Loris tardigradus tardigradus''
** [[Gray slender loris]], ''Loris lydekkerianus''

The ears are less prominent in ''Loris tardigradus tardigradus'' compared to ''Loris lydekkerianus''. The ears of ''Loris tardigradus nycticeboides'' are almost invisible.

==Description==
This small, slender primate is distinguished by large forward-facing eyes used for precise depth perception, long slender limbs, a well-developed index finger, the absence of tail, and large prominent ears, which are thin, rounded and hairless at the edges. The soft dense fur is reddish-brown color on the back, and the underside is whitish-grey with a sprinkling of silver hair. Its body length on average is {{convert|7|–|10|in|cm|abbr=on|order=flip}}, with an average weight of a mere {{convert|3|–|13|oz|g|round=5|abbr=on|order=flip}}. This [[loris]] has a four-way grip on each foot. The big toe opposes the other 4 toes for a pincer-like grip on branches and food. It has a dark face mask with central pale stripe, much like the [[slow loris]]es.

''L. tardigradus tardigradus'' is reddish brown in the back and creamy yellow below, while ''L. tardigradus nycticeboides'' is dark brown dorsally and very light brown in upperparts.

==Behavior==
[[File:Loris tardigradus tardigradus 002.jpg|thumb|left|The red slender loris is arboreal.]]
[[Image:Red slender loris skeleton.jpg|thumb|Skeleton of red slender loris.]]
The red slender loris favors lowland [[rainforest]]s (up to {{convert|700|m|ft|abbr=in|disp=or}} in altitude), tropical rainforests and inter-[[monsoon]] forests of the south western wet-zone of Sri Lanka. Masmullah Proposed Forest Reserve harbors one of few remaining red slender loris populations, and is considered a [[biodiversity hotspot]]. The most common plant species eaten was ''[[Humboldtia laurifolia]]'', occurring at 676 trees/ha, with overall density at 1077 trees/ha. ''Humboldtia laurifolia'' is [[Vulnerable species|vulnerable]] and has a mutualistic relationship with [[ant]]s, providing abundant food for lorises.<ref>{{cite journal | author = K. Anne-Isola Nekaris | author2 = Wasantha K. D. D. Liyanage | author3 = Saman N. Gamage |date=July 2005 | journal = Mammalia | volume = 69 | issue = 2 | pages = 201–210 | doi = 10.1515/mamm.2005.017 | title = Influence of forest structure and composition on population density of the red slender loris ''Loris tardigradus tardigradus'' in Masmullah proposed forest reserve, Sri Lanka| s2cid = 21708919 }}</ref> Reports from the 1960s suggest that it once also occurred in the [[coastal]] zone, however it is now thought to be extinct there.

The red slender loris differs from its close relative the gray slender loris in its frequent use of rapid [[arboreal locomotion]]. It forms small social groups, containing adults of both sexes as well as young animals. This species is among the most social of the [[nocturnal]] primates. During daylight hours the animals sleep in groups in branch tangles, or curled up on a branch with their heads between their legs. The groups also undertake mutual grooming and play at wrestling. The adults typically hunt separately during the night. They are primarily [[insectivorous]] but also eat bird [[egg (biology)|eggs]], [[berry|berries]], leaves, [[bud]]s and occasionally [[invertebrate]]s as well as [[gecko]]s and lizards. They forage, and while doing so, ants may stick to the back of their hands.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Kumara|first1=H.N.|last2=Kumar|first2=Shanthala|last3=Singh|first3=Mewa|title=A Novel Foraging Technique Observed in Slender Loris (Loris lydekkerianus malabaricus) Feeding on Red Ants in the Western Ghats, India|url=https://www.karger.com/Article/Abstract/83618|access-date=13 October 2020|journal=Folia Primatologica; International Journal of Primatology|year=2005 |volume=76 |issue=2 |pages=116–118 |doi=10.1159/000083618 |pmid=15775683 |s2cid=46584698 }}</ref> As this occurs, the red slender loris is able to consume these ants. To maximize protein and nutrient uptake they consume every part of their prey, including the scales and bones. They make nests out of leaves or find hollows of trees or a similar secure place to live in.

==Reproduction==
[[File:Loris tardigradus skull.jpg|thumb|left|Skull]]
Females are dominant. The female reaches her sexual maturity at 10 months and is receptive to the male twice a year. This species mates while hanging upside down from branches; individuals in captivity will not breed if no suitable branch is available. The [[gestation]] period is 166–169 days after which the female will bear 1–2 young which feed from her for 6–7 months. The lifespan of this species is believed to be around 15–18 years in the wild.

==Threats==
This slender loris is an endangered species. [[Habitat destruction]] is a major threat. It is widely trapped and killed for use in supposed remedies for eye diseases and is preyed upon by snakes, dogs, and some fish.<ref>{{cite web | author = Benders-Hyde, Elisabeth | year = 2002 | access-date = 24 July 2007 | url = http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/slender_loris.htm | title = Slender Loris}}</ref> Other threats include electrocution on live wires, road accidents and capture for the pet trade.<ref name=Nekaris&Jayewardene2004>{{Cite journal | last1 = Nekaris | first1 = K. A. I. | last2 = Jayewardene | first2 = J. | doi = 10.1017/S0952836903004710 | title = Survey of the slender loris (Primates, Lorisidae Gray, 1821: ''Loris tardigradus'' Linnaeus, 1758 and ''Loris lydekkerianus'' Cabrera, 1908) in Sri Lanka | journal = Journal of Zoology | volume = 262 | issue = 4 | pages = 327–338 | year = 2004 }}</ref>

== Conservation ==
The red slender loris was identified as one of the top-10 "focal species" in 2007 by the [[EDGE Species|Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered]] (EDGE) project.<ref>{{Cite news | title = Protection for 'weirdest' species | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6263331.stm | date = 16 January 2007 | access-date = 22 May 2007 | work = [[BBC]]}}</ref>

One early success has been the rediscovery of the virtually unknown [[Horton Plains]] slender loris (''Loris tardigradus nycticeboides''). Originally documented in 1937, there have been only four known encounters in the past 72 years,<ref>http://www.spiegel.de/wissenschaft/natur/0,1518,707502,00.html Der Spiegel (German) article about the rediscovery</ref> and for more than 60 years until 2002 the sub-species had been believed to be extinct.<ref name="ap-19Jul10">{{cite news|last=Krishan|first=Francis|title=Rare Sri Lankan primate gets 1st wide-eyed closeup|date=19 July 2010|publisher=[[The Oregonian]] (from the [[Associated Press]])|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/newsflash/index.ssf?/base/international-34/127957441022880.xml&storylist=international|access-date=23 July 2010}}</ref><ref name="guardian-Jul10">{{cite news|last=Smith|first=Lewis|title=Found: Sri Lankan primate thought to be extinct for 60 years|date=19 July 2010|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/jul/19/horton-plains-slender-loris-found|access-date=23 July 2010}}</ref> The sub-species was rediscovered in 2002 by a team led by [[Anna Nekaris]] in [[Horton Plains National Park]].<ref name=Nekaris&Jayewardene2004/> The late 2009 capture by a team working under the [[Zoological Society of London]]'s EDGE programme has resulted in the first detailed physical examination of the Horton Plains sub-species and the first-ever photographs of it.<ref name="ap-19Jul10"/> The limited available evidence suggests there may be only about 100 animals still existing, which would make it among the top five most-threatened primates worldwide.<ref name="guardian-Jul10"/>

==References==
{{Reflist}}
<!-- Please inline this citation
* {{cite book | author=S.M.Nair (English edition); Translated by O. Henry Francis | title=Endangered Animals of India and their conservation (In Tamil) | publisher=National Book Trust | year=1999}}
-->

==External links==
{{Commons|Loris tardigradus}}
{{Wikispecies|Loris tardigradus|Red Slender Loris}}
*ARKive – [https://web.archive.org/web/20051125120542/http://www.arkive.org/species/GES/mammals/Loris_tardigradus_and_Loris_lydekkerianus/more_info.html images and movies of the slender loris ''(Loris tardigradus and Loris lydekkerianus)'']
* EDGE of Existence [http://www.edgeofexistence.org/mammals/species_info.php?id=22 "(Slender loris)"] Saving the World's most Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) species

{{Lorisidae nav}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q614947}}

[[Category:Lorises|red slender loris]]
[[Category:Mammals of Sri Lanka]]
[[Category:Endemic fauna of Sri Lanka]]
[[Category:Primates of South Asia]]
[[Category:EDGE species]]
[[Category:Endangered animals]]
[[Category:Endangered biota of Asia]]
[[Category:Mammals described in 1758|red slender loris]]
[[Category:Species that are or were threatened by habitat loss]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus|red slender loris]]