Loris - Loris (English spelling)

A general term for animals belonging to the Lorisidae family of the Primates order of the Mammalia class, and the Loridae subfamily. Members of this subfamily are kitten-sized prosimians that live from India to Southeast Asia, and there are three species, divided into the genus Loris and the genus Nycticebus , which are slow lorises. The second digit of the front paws is degenerate, and only the second digit of the hind paws has a claw. The front teeth are comb-like, and the dentition is

It has a total of 36 eyes. Its face is flat and has large eyes facing forward. It has almost no tail, and if it does have one, it is hidden by its fur and cannot be seen. It is a slow-moving, nocturnal arboreal dweller, marking its territory with urine. It spends the day in tree hollows or amongst leafy thickets, and when it perches on a branch to sleep, it curls up with its body axis vertical, clinging to the branch with its limbs, and burying its head in its chest. It is omnivorous, and when it catches small animals, it moves quickly, eating insects, small reptiles, bird eggs, fruit, leaves, etc. It generally lives alone, but can be seen in pairs, and like the potto, it is thought that each male establishes a territory that covers the range of one or more females.

[Shigeo Uehara]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

哺乳(ほにゅう)綱霊長目ロリス科ロリス亜科に属する動物の総称。この亜科の仲間は、インドから東南アジアにすむ子ネコ大の原猿で、3種があり、ホソロリス属Lorisとスローロリス属Nycticebusに分けられる。前肢第2指は退化し、後肢第2指だけに鉤(かぎ)づめがみられる。前歯部は櫛(くし)の歯状を呈し、歯式は

で計36本。顔は平面的で大きな目が前向きにつく。尾はほとんどなく、あっても体毛に隠れて見えない。動作の緩慢な夜行性樹上生活者で、尿によるマーキング行動を行う。昼間は木のうろや葉の茂みの中で過ごし、枝に止まって眠るときは、体軸を垂直にして四肢で枝につかまり、頭を胸にうずめるようにして丸くなる。雑食性で、小動物をとらえる際はすばやい動きをみせ、昆虫、小形爬虫(はちゅう)類、鳥の卵、果実、葉などを食べる。原則として単独で生活するが、ペアでみられることもあり、ポットーなどと同様に、各雄は1頭ないしそれ以上の雌の行動域を覆うように縄張りを構えているものと思われる。

［上原重男］

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