Family Lorisidae | Lorises Genus Nycticebus Lorises are the only venomous primates, having a gland on their forearm that produces a toxin that becomes more potent when mixed with their saliva. Not only are their bites venomous, but lorises also spread the toxin on their fur as a form of chemical protection against predators, rolling into a ball when threatened. They are nocturnal and arboreal, with large eyes to see in the dark and hands and feet that are adapted to holding onto branches for long periods while looking for food. Lorises are the most commonly traded of the protected primates in Southeast Asia, threatened by the pet, medicine and wild meat trades. When marketed as pets, their teeth are often removed to protect prospective owners, but this practice often leads to infection and death and makes it impossible to ever reintroduce them to the wild.27 Pygmy slow loris Nycticebus pygmaeus © David Haring / Duke Lemur Center
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