The slow loris is a relatively cute primate that currently resides on the IUCN's top 25 most endangered animals species list.
The problem is, the animal is just so cute that no one seems to want to leave it alone. More importantly, when they're captured, they hardly ever survive before they reach the market to be sold as pets, so many are realistically just wasting away for no purpose at all.
The slow loris is a type of primate known as a Strepsirrhini, which is a slightly under-evolved subcategory of primate, compared to the much more advanced Haplorhini subclass.
They have a lot of features that make them similar to other kinds of mammals, including eyes that glow in the presence of light at night, and wet noses that resemble that of your dog. On the other hand, they also have another feature that you wouldn't expect from a primate: they're venomous.
That's right. They leave behind a trace of fluid on trees that comes from their elbows, which they can use to communicate with other slow lorises. On the other hand, it's poisonous, and that means it can harm you. Since they often lick their glands, their sharp teeth become dangerous, should they ever bite you.
So now that you know more about the slow loris, you should probably think twice before ever owning one as a pet. After all, they aren't doing too well in the wild.
