Slow Loris: Experiencing the World of Smell

The Slow Loris (Nycticebus coucang) moves at a leisurely pace through the forests of Southeast Asia. With her slow and steady hand-over-hand movements, Slow Loris deliberately goes from tree top to tree top. Since She often hangs upside down as well, naturalists first believed that Slow Loris was a relative of the sloth of the Americas. Instead, She is a prosimian, a forerunner of monkeys.

As an omnivore, Slow Loris feeds on leaves, insects and small lizards. Using her keen sense of smell, She hunts at night for insects that are poisonous to many animals. Following the scent trail, Slow Loris tracks the insect. Moving unhurriedly, She sneaks up on her victim unnoticed. Then holding onto one branch with her hind foot, Slow Loris quietly reaches out and grabs her prey with her fingers.

Slow Loris communicates to other slow lorises using scent. To leave a message for them, She will urinate on her hands and wipe them on branches. The other slow lorises read her scent markings, and leave messages of their own. Scent acts as a language between these prosimians.

Besides her acute sense of smell, Slow Loris is also known for her toxic bite. First, She licks her scent gland on her upper arm, which produces a toxic secretion. Mixing the secretion with her salvia, Slow Loris grooms her baby for protection. When She forages at night, She will park her infant and leave. Furthermore, when She is threatened, Slow Loris will bite. The toxin from her bite will cause painful swelling and death.

Most people have seen Slow Loris in videos being tickled. What these videos do not tell anyone is that She is reacting from fear. Furthermore, shining a light into her large eyes hurts Slow Loris, since She is a nocturnal animal. Because of her cuteness, Slow Loris is a the victim of the illegal pet trade. Before selling Her, traders will pull her teeth out. Because of this, She dies a slow painful death. To help to stop the illegal pet trade, it is better to work to keep her home forests intact and educate people about her inability to live in captivity.

People can learn from Slow Loris how to fully experience the world of smell. She shows them how to communicate by smell. Imagine the smells of coffee, rotten eggs, baked breads, and then feel what each conveys. Go through your day noticing the smells of your life. Ponder what they tell you. Experiences will become more memorable with smell.