What the sources say
Sunda Slow LorisNycticebus coucang
Every figure, record and mechanism on the Sunda Slow Loris profile was written from a source, and this is the working table behind it: 42 claims checked word for word against these sources. The left column is what the page says. The right column is the source's own words, copied, not paraphrased; a ... marks a cut and[brackets] an insertion. Open any source and check it yourself.
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Source
01
Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan
Nycticebus coucang (slow loris). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.
- The page saysnocturnal primate
- The source says
Their eyes are large due to their primarily nocturnal activity.
- The page saysMainly primary and secondary lowland tropical forests of Indonesia, Malaysia, southern Thailand and Singapore
- The source says
Sunda slow lorises mainly inhabit primary and secondary tropical lowland forests.
Note: the country list is ADW's Geographic Range paragraph, quoted against the body's opening sentence - The page saysFound mainly in Sumatra and nearby islands, Peninsular Malaysia, southern Thailand and Singapore
- The source says
Sunda slow lorises ( Nycticebus coucang ) live mainly in Indonesia (Sumatra, Batam and Galang in the Riau Archipelago, and Pulau Tebingtinggi and Bunguran in the North Natuna Islands), Malaysia (on the Peninsula and the island of Pulau Tioman), the southern peninsular area of Thailand (from the Isthmus of Kra southward) and throughout Singapore.
- The page sayslarge eyes, thick fur, and a tail reduced to a stump hidden in that fur
- The source says
Thick fur hides their ears. Their highly-reduced (to a stump) vestigial tail is also hidden underneath their fur. Their eyes are large due to their primarily nocturnal activity.
- The page saysSap, gum, nectar, stems and fruit, occasionally spiders and insects; also seen eating snails and bird eggs
- The source says
Sunda slow lorises are dietary generalists, feeding on saps, gums, nectars, stems, fruits and occasionally arthropods such as spiders and insects. They have also been observed consuming snails and bird eggs.
- The page saysIt measures 27 to 38 centimetres and weighs 599 to 685 grams
- The source says
Sunda slow lorises range in length from 27 to 38 centimeters and weight from 599 to 685 grams.
- The page saysBefore and during weaning, a mother licks her young, covering them in toxic oil so they may be protected while she leaves to forage
- The source says
Only females care for their young. Before and during weaning, females lick their young, covering them in toxic oil, so the young may be protected while the female leaves to forage.
- The page saysThe Sunda slow loris is a dietary generalist, feeding on sap, gum, nectar, stems, fruit and occasionally spiders and insects
- The source says
Sunda slow lorises are dietary generalists, feeding on saps, gums, nectars, stems, fruits and occasionally arthropods such as spiders and insects. They have also been observed consuming snails and bird eggs.
- The page saysRoughly a third of its diet is sap and gum, another third is nectar and nectar-producing plants, and approximately a quarter is fruit
- The source says
Roughly one third of their diet is saps and gums, another third consists of nectar and nectar-producing plants and approximately one fourth of their diet is fruit.
Note: ADW names no study for the proportions; its reference list includes Wiens's field work on wild N. coucang (2002 thesis; Wiens, Zitzmann and Hussein 2006 on diet), so ADW's hedges roughly/approximately are kept and no population is named - The page saysIts predators include reticulated pythons and changeable hawk-eagles
- The source says
Their predators include reticulated pythons, changeable hawk-eagles and Bornean orangutans.
Note: ADW's Bornean orangutan is left out because its own range paragraph puts N. coucang nowhere on Borneo; orangutan predation is cited to Hardus et al. instead - The page saysIf threatened, the loris rolls into a ball, leaving nothing but toxic fur exposed, and may drop from the tree if the predator is arboreal
- The source says
If threatened, lorises will roll into a ball, leaving nothing but toxic fur exposed to the predator. Lorises may also roll into a ball and drop from the trees if the predator is arboreal.
- The page saysIt may also bite, though this is very rare next to such passive defences
- The source says
They may also bite, though this is very rare compared to their more passive defenses such as crypsis.
- The page sayshabitat loss and degradation over large areas of this species' range have caused large declines too
- The source says
In addition to poaching, severe habitat loss and degradation over large areas of their range have caused large population declines
Source
02
AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database, Build 15
AnAge entry for Nycticebus coucang. AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database, Build 15.
- The page saysthe oldest confirmed record, a captive animal, lived 25.8 years
- The source says
Maximum longevity 25.8 years (captivity) Source ref. 671 Sample size Medium Data quality Acceptable Observations One captive specimen lived 25.8 years [ 0671 ]. There is also one report of a 26.5 year old animal [ 0574 ], which has not been confirmed.
Source
03
Nekaris, Poindexter & Streicher 2020
Nekaris, Poindexter & Streicher (2020). Nycticebus coucang. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T163017685A17970966.
- The page saysEndangered
- The source says
IUCN Red List category: Endangered (EN). Nycticebus coucang (Boddaert, 1785), IUCN taxon 163017685.
- The page saysThe Sunda slow loris is listed **Endangered** on the IUCN Red List
- The source says
IUCN Red List category: Endangered (EN). Nycticebus coucang (Boddaert, 1785), IUCN taxon 163017685.
Source
04
Nekaris et al. 2013
Nekaris et al. (2013). Mad, bad and dangerous to know: the biochemistry, ecology and evolution of slow loris venom. Journal of Venomous Animals and Toxins including Tropical Diseases.
- The page saysBrachial gland chemical weaponization and specialized toothcomb venom delivery
- The source says
combining fluid of its brachial gland (Figure 1) with saliva ... the slow loris' procumbent anterior incisors, or toothcomb, normally ascribed feeding and grooming functions, are effective as a venom delivery system by conducting liquid upward.
- The page saysA Primate With a Venomous Bite
- The source says
The slow lorises of Southeast Asia ( Nycticebus spp . ) are the final mammals, and the only primates, which harbour toxins. ... the mixture applied to the top of the head for defence or kept in the mouth to bite
Note: heading; the body scopes the claim to the genus - The page saysSlow lorises, the genus *Nycticebus*, are the only primates known to harbour toxins
- The source says
The slow lorises of Southeast Asia ( Nycticebus spp . ) are the final mammals, and the only primates, which harbour toxins.
- The page saysIn the classic slow loris defence posture, a threatened animal usually raises its arms above its head and moves its mouth to the gland to combine the fluid with saliva, then either applies the mixture to the top of its head or keeps it in its mouth to bite
- The source says
The venom is usually delivered after a threatened loris raises it arms above its head, combining fluid of its brachial gland (Figure 1) with saliva [ 7 ]. In this classic defence posture (Figure 2), the mouth can quickly be moved to the brachial gland to combine the fluids, and the mixture applied to the top of the head for defence or kept in the mouth to bite [ 8 ].
- The page saysA slow loris's toothcomb conducts the liquid upward, which makes it an effective venom delivery system
- The source says
Alterman [ 8 ] also demonstrated that the slow loris' procumbent anterior incisors, or toothcomb, normally ascribed feeding and grooming functions, are effective as a venom delivery system by conducting liquid upward.
- The page saysAcross the genus, bites are intensely painful in both humans and other lorises, can cause swelling and wounds that take weeks to heal
- The source says
slow loris bites are intensely painful, and in both humans and loris conspecifics can cause oedema, fester, take weeks to heal, and leave loss of fur and scarring.
- The page saysin extreme cases may trigger anaphylactic shock, sometimes resulting in death
- The source says
In extreme cases, bite recipients may enter anaphylactic shock, sometimes resulting in death [ 9 - 11 ]
- The page saysOne research team, pointing to other serpentine features of slow lorises such as an extra vertebra in the spine that gives snake-like movement, proposes that the venom may have evolved as mimicry of the spectacled cobra
- The source says
Combined with numerous other serpentine features of slow lorises, including extra vertebra in the spine leading to snake-like movement, serpentine aggressive vocalisations, a long dark dorsal stripe and the venom itself, we propose that venom may have evolved to mimic cobras ( Naja sp.). During the Miocene when both slow lorises and cobras migrated throughout Southeast Asia, the evolution of venom may have been an adaptive strategy against predators used by slow lorises as a form of Müllerian mimicry with spectacled cobras.
- The page saysIn slow lorises the venom is activated by combining oil from the brachial gland
- The source says
Venom is activated by combining the oil from the brachial arm gland with saliva
- The page sayson the inside of the elbow
- The source says
brachial gland (dark oblong area on the inside of the elbow region)
- The page saysA threatened loris usually raises its arms above its head and brings its mouth to the gland, then either applies the mixture to the top of its head for defence or keeps it in its mouth to bite
- The source says
The venom is usually delivered after a threatened loris raises it arms above its head, combining fluid of its brachial gland (Figure 1) with saliva [ 7 ]. In this classic defence posture (Figure 2), the mouth can quickly be moved to the brachial gland to combine the fluids, and the mixture applied to the top of the head for defence or kept in the mouth to bite [ 8 ].
- The page saysIt is the classic slow loris defence posture: with its arms above its head, a loris can quickly move its mouth to the brachial gland and combine the gland's fluid with saliva
- The source says
The venom is usually delivered after a threatened loris raises it arms above its head, combining fluid of its brachial gland (Figure 1) with saliva [ 7 ]. In this classic defence posture (Figure 2), the mouth can quickly be moved to the brachial gland to combine the fluids
- The page saysResearchers have also remarked on how snake-like the defensive postures of lorises are
- The source says
Other authors have since remarked on lorises' snake-like characteristics in regards to their defensive postures [ 59 , 60 ] and serpentine gait [ 61 - 63 ].
- The page saysOne team, noting serpentine features such as an extra vertebra in the spine that gives snake-like movement, has proposed that slow loris venom may have evolved as mimicry of the spectacled cobra
- The source says
Combined with numerous other serpentine features of slow lorises, including extra vertebra in the spine leading to snake-like movement, serpentine aggressive vocalisations, a long dark dorsal stripe and the venom itself, we propose that venom may have evolved to mimic cobras ( Naja sp.). During the Miocene when both slow lorises and cobras migrated throughout Southeast Asia, the evolution of venom may have been an adaptive strategy against predators used by slow lorises as a form of Müllerian mimicry with spectacled cobras.
- The page saysdangerLevel: Extreme
- The source says
slow loris bites are intensely painful, and in both humans and loris conspecifics can cause oedema, fester, take weeks to heal, and leave loss of fur and scarring.
Note: Settles #836: kept. Severe injury on a bite. Nekaris' deaths are genus scope and by anaphylaxis; the species-level source (krane-2003) records painful bites and anaphylaxis, no death, so not Deadly. - The page saysa primate that arms its bite by raising its arms above its head and mixing the oil from a gland on its upper arm with its saliva
- The source says
The venom is usually delivered after a threatened loris raises it arms above its head, combining fluid of its brachial gland (Figure 1) with saliva
Note: vibe.reason, settled in #836.
Source
05
Krane et al. 2003
Krane et al. (2003). "Venom" of the slow loris: sequence similarity of prosimian skin gland protein and Fel d 1 cat allergen. Naturwissenschaften.
- The page saysThe deceptively cute nocturnal primate whose elbow-gland secretion carries a protein closely resembling a cat allergen
- The source says
We isolated a major component of the brachial organ secretions from N. coucang, an approximately 18 kDa protein composed of two 70-90 amino-acid chains linked by one or more disulfide bonds. The N-termini of these peptide chains exhibit nearly 70% sequence similarity (37% identity, chain 1; 54% identity, chain 2) with the two chains of Fel d 1, the major allergen from the domestic cat (Felis catus).
- The page saysIn this species the toxins are thought to come from the **brachial gland**, a bare, gland-studded patch of skin on the inside of the arm that the loris licks during grooming
- The source says
Toxins from N. coucang are thought to originate in the brachial organ, a naked, gland-laden area of skin situated on the flexor surface of the arm that is licked during grooming.
- The page saysA major protein in the gland's secretion, about 18 kilodaltons and built from two chains, shows nearly 70 percent sequence similarity at the start of each chain with Fel d 1, the major allergen from domestic cats
- The source says
We isolated a major component of the brachial organ secretions from N. coucang, an approximately 18 kDa protein composed of two 70-90 amino-acid chains linked by one or more disulfide bonds. The N-termini of these peptide chains exhibit nearly 70% sequence similarity (37% identity, chain 1; 54% identity, chain 2) with the two chains of Fel d 1, the major allergen from the domestic cat (Felis catus).
- The page saysThe researchers who isolated it suggest this may explain why bites do harm
- The source says
This work clarifies the chemical nature of the brachial organ exudate and suggests a possible mode of action underlying the noxious effects of slow loris bites.
- The page saysBites on people are painful and have caused anaphylaxis
- The source says
Bites inflicted on humans by the slow loris (Nycticebus coucang), a prosimian from Indonesia, are painful and elicit anaphylaxis.
- The page saysA major protein in the Sunda slow loris's elbow-gland secretion shows nearly 70 percent sequence similarity, at the start of its two chains, with Fel d 1, the major allergen from domestic cats
- The source says
We isolated a major component of the brachial organ secretions from N. coucang, an approximately 18 kDa protein composed of two 70-90 amino-acid chains linked by one or more disulfide bonds. The N-termini of these peptide chains exhibit nearly 70% sequence similarity (37% identity, chain 1; 54% identity, chain 2) with the two chains of Fel d 1, the major allergen from the domestic cat (Felis catus).
- The page saysThe researchers who found it suggest the two proteins may cross-react in the immune system, a possible explanation for the harm a bite does
- The source says
The extensive sequence similarity between the brachial organ component of N. coucang and the cat allergen suggests that they exhibit immunogenic cross-reactivity. This work clarifies the chemical nature of the brachial organ exudate and suggests a possible mode of action underlying the noxious effects of slow loris bites.
Source
06
Hardus et al. 2012
Hardus et al. (2012). Behavioral, Ecological, and Evolutionary Aspects of Meat-Eating by Sumatran Orangutans (Pongo abelii). International Journal of Primatology.
- The page saysAt Ketambe in Indonesia, researchers recorded one Sumatran orangutan mother and infant eating slow lorises on three occasions, which they called rare
- The source says
We report 3 rare cases of meat-eating of slow lorises, Nycticebus coucang , by 1 Sumatran orangutan mother–infant dyad in Ketambe, Indonesia, to examine how orangutans find slow lorises and share meat.
Source
07
Fuller et al. 2017
Fuller et al. (2017). Welfare impacts of the illegal wildlife trade in a cohort of confiscated greater slow lorises, Nycticebus coucang. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science.
- The page saysIllegal harvesting and trade are major forces behind declines of wild slow lorises
- The source says
Illegal harvesting and trade are major forces behind population declines of wild slow lorises (genus Nycticebus).
- The page saysA study of 77 greater slow lorises, as this species is also called, confiscated en masse and brought to Cikananga Wildlife Center in Indonesia found that 28.6 percent died within the first six months, mostly from traumatic injury, and all the infants died
- The source says
we describe quantitatively the consequences of the wildlife trade for 77 greater slow lorises, N. coucang, who were confiscated en masse and brought to Cikananga Wildlife Center in Indonesia. Medical records indicated that in total, 28.6% of the slow lorises died within the first 6 months, mostly due to traumatic injury, and all the infants died.
How the table was made: a writer drafted the profile from these sources and logged each claim with its quote, a reviewer with nothing but this table checked every sentence said no more than its quote, and a script confirmed each quote appears word for word in the source. The method is in the site'sAbout page.