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A pygmy slow loris clings to a branch at the Endangered Primate Rescue Center in Cuc Phuong National Park, Vietnam. This species of loris--which weighs about 1 pound--lives in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. There are about 25 species of loris worldwide. All have extremely strong fingers and toes, which they use to grasp tree branches.
Lorises are also poisonous: They can secrete a powerful histamine (sort of like super concentrated cat dander) when threatened. Wildlife trafficking--along with hunting and habitat loss--has pushed loris populations into vulnerable territory. That's why, at this time of year in the jungles of Vietnam, you'll find scientists wearing big, red headlamps designed for hunting deer walking methodically in straight lines, their heads slowly turning left and right. The scientists are hunting, in a manner of speaking, for the loris.Image credit: Mary E. Blair, American Museum of Natural History
