loris

lo·ris

L0253400 (lôr′ĭs)n.1. Any of various primates of the family Lorisidae of sub-Saharan Africa and tropical Asia, having a very short or absent tail, and including the pottos.2. Any of several small, slow-moving nocturnal members of this family in the genera Loris and Nycticebus of tropical Asia, having dense woolly fur and large eyes.

[French, possibly from obsolete Dutch loeris, simpleton, from loer, from Old French lourt, from Latin lūridus, pale; see lurid.]

loris

(ˈlɔːrɪs) n, pl -ris (Animals) any of several omnivorous nocturnal slow-moving prosimian primates of the family Lorisidae, of S and SE Asia, esp Loris tardigradus (slow loris) and Nycticebus coucang (slender loris), having vestigial digits and no tails[C18: from French; of uncertain origin]

lo•ris

(ˈlɔr ɪs, ˈloʊr-)

n., pl. -ris•es, -ris. 1. a slender, tailless prosimian primate, Loris tardigradus, of S India and Sri Lanka. 2. either of two similar but stockier prosimians of the genus Nycticebus, of SE Asia. [1765–75; < New Latin < Dutch loeris simpleton]

loris

loris,

name for slow-moving, nocturnal, arboreal primates of the family Lorisidae, found Africa and Asia. True lorises, found in India, Sri Lanka, and SE Asia, have round heads, large round eyes, and furry bodies. They have no tails, and their index fingers are vestigial. Lorises move hand over hand through the trees, gripping the branches firmly with hands and feet; they feed on insects and vegetable matter. There are two types, the slender lorises (Loris species), with a body that is 7 to 10 in. (18 to 20 cm) long and very thin legs, and the slow lorises (Nycticebus species), with a body that is from 7 to 16 in. long (18 to 40 cm) and short, thick legs. The slow lorises have pale brownish fur with a darker dorsal stripe. African members of the loris family, found in tropical regions, are the potto (Perodicticus potto), which has a stumpy tail, and the angwantibo (Arctocebus calabarensis), characterized by its pointed face. The bush babiesbush baby
or bushbaby,
name for several small, active nocturnal primates of the Galagidae family, found in forested parts of Africa. Bush babies are also called galagos. The smallest are about 1 ft (30 cm) long, including the long, furry tail.
..... Click the link for more information. , or galagos, a distinctive group of small, swift-moving animals that were classed as a loris subfamily are now in a separate family. Lorises are classified in the phylum ChordataChordata
, phylum of animals having a notochord, or dorsal stiffening rod, as the chief internal skeletal support at some stage of their development. Most chordates are vertebrates (animals with backbones), but the phylum also includes some small marine invertebrate animals.
..... Click the link for more information. , subphylum Vertebrata, class Mammalia, order Primates, family Lorisidae.

Loris

any one animal of two genera of Prosimii of the family Lorisidae. The slender loris (Loris tardigradus) is the only species of the genus Loris. The body measures 20-25 cm, and the weight is 85-350 g. The fur is thick and soft, gray or reddish brown in color. The limbs are slender and nearly equal in length. The second digit of the hand is reduced. There is no tail, and the eyes are very large.

Lorises are distributed in Southeast Asia (Hindustan and the island of Sri Lanka). The genus Nycticebus is represented by two species: the slow loris (N. coucang), with a body measuring 30-38 cm, and N. pygmaeus, with a body measuring 18-21 cm. The animal’s tail is short and hidden in the thick fur. The coloration is brownish, reddish, or gray. Nycticebus is distributed in Southeast Asia (Hindustan, Indochina, Malacca, and on some islands of the Malay Archipelago). All lorises live in forests on trees and are found singly or in pairs. They are nocturnal, and their movements are very slow. Lorises feed chiefly on insects, small lizards and birds, and fruits. The young are born at various times of the year (for example, on the island of Sri Lanka they are born in April or May and November or December). Lorises are rarely kept in captivity.

REFERENCES

Zhizn’ zhivotnykh, vol. 6. Moscow, 1971.
Napier, J., and P. Napier. A Handbook of Living Primates. London-New York, 1967.

M. F. NESTURKH

loris

[′lȯr·əs] (vertebrate zoology) Either of two slow-moving, nocturnal, arboreal primates included in the family Lorisidae: the slender loris (Loris tardigradus) and slow loris (Nycticebus coucang).

loris

lo·ris

loris

lo•ris

loris

loris,

Loris

REFERENCES

loris

LORIS