The gray slender loris (Loris lydekkerianus) is a species of primate

Primate

A primate is a mammal of the order Primates , which contains prosimians and simians. Primates arose from ancestors that lived in the trees of tropical forests; many primate characteristics represent adaptations to life in this challenging three-dimensional environment...

 in the Loridae family. It is found in India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

 and Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...

. Its natural habitat

Habitat

* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...

s are subtropical or tropical dry forest

Forest

A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...

s and subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat loss. The species used to be considered as Loris tardigradus lydekkerianus but Loris tardigradus is now a separate species found in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...

. This species has been divided into several geographically separated subspecies.

The Indian subspecies include:

• Malabar gray slender loris, Loris lydekkerianus malabaricus - found in the Western Ghats of India
• Mysore gray slender loris, Loris lydekkerianus lydekkerianus - found in the southern plains of Mysore and Tamil Nadu extending into the Eastern Ghats

The Sri Lankan populations include:

• Northern Ceylonese slender loris, Loris lydekkerianus nordicus
• Highland slender loris, Loris lydekkerianus grandis

Behavior

Like other lorises, they are nocturnal and emerge out of their roost cavities only at dusk. They are mainly insectivorous. In eastern southern India, the nominate race is often found in Acacia and Tamarind dominated forests or scrub near cultivation. Males hold larger home ranges than females. They are usually solitary or seen in pairs and groups are rare. However they may roost in groups of up to 6 that include young of the recent and older litters. The males especially enjoy phalange-axillae contact with humans (finger to armpit touching). They communicate with a range of vocalizations and also use urine and scent marking.

External links

• http://www.loris-conservation.org/database/subspecies/index.htm
• http://www.theprimata.com/loris_tardigradus.html
• http://www.arkive.org/slender-lorises/loris-tardigradus-and-loris-lydekkerianus/