Mammals of the WorldSouthern Pygmy Slow Loris
Xanthonycticebus pygmaeus
- Order
- Primates
- Family
- Lorisidae
- Genus
- Xanthonycticebus
- IUCN status
- EN
- Distribution
- Laos|Vietnam|Cambodia
- Realm
- Indomalaya
Other names: Southern Pygmy Loris|Lesser Slow Loris|Pygmy Loris
About this species
- Size
- 19–23cm
- Weight
- About 450g
- Diet
- Tree gum (about 63%), insects and other animal prey (about 33%), fruit
- Habitat
- Tropical dry, semi-evergreen, secondary and mixed deciduous forest
- Range
- East of the Mekong: southern Vietnam, Laos, eastern Cambodia and southern China (Yunnan)
- Gestation
- 184–200 days
The pygmy slow loris is a slow loris found east of the Mekong River in Vietnam, Laos, eastern Cambodia and China, in a variety of forest habitats including tropical dry, semi-evergreen and evergreen forests. It was originally placed in Nycticebus until moved to Xanthonycticebus in 2022; two species are recognised, the northern pygmy loris from northern Vietnam, Laos and China and the southern pygmy loris from southern Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia (Wikipedia, general species account).
It is nocturnal and arboreal, crawling slowly along branches in search of prey, and unlike other primates it does not leap. An adult grows to about 19–23 cm with a very short tail and weighs about 450 g. It is omnivorous, feeding on termites, ants, other insects and fruit; a Vietnamese study found its diet was largely tree gum (63%) and animal prey (33%), and it gouges trees to feed on exudates. It breeds once a year, with gestation of 184–200 days, and weans young at about 24 weeks.
Description: Wildlife of Vietnam guide, Wildlife of Everywhere (wildlifeofeverywhere.com); general species information paraphrased from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)