Rare Primate Caught On Camera For the First Time
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It took the researchers from the Zoological Society of London, 200 hours to find this elusive creature, but in the end it was well-worth it! For they managed to do what nobody else has every done before - take amazing pictures of the Horton Plains Slender Loris, last seen in 1939 and thought to be long extinct!
The wide-eyed mammal, which has been seen only four times since 1937, was reportedly spotted in 2002, but since no pictures were taken, the sighting was never verified. However, that report encouraged the Zoological society and some researchers from Sri Lanka, to launch a search for this tiny, eight-inch long prosimian.
Native to the jungles of Sri Lanka and India, the Horton Plains Slender Loris is part of the Slender Loris family, a nocturnal animal, the size of a chipmunk that resides in the thick, thorny vegetation, where it can avoid predators and find plenty of insects to eat.
The Horton Plains species appears to have short and sturdier limbs, possibly an adaptation to the cooler high altitude Montane forests (forests that get their precipitation from mist or fog), where it lives. Scientists are now trying to conduct further studies to see if it is different enough to be classified as a sub-species of the Slender Loris similar to the Red Slender Loris and the Gray Slender Loris.
Exciting as the find is, scientists are hoping that many more of these beautiful creatures do exist - But given that their primary habitat, the Montane forests, now comprise of less than one percent of Sri Lanka,they are not too optimistic. Hopefully, we will be able save them before they totally disappear.
sources: wired.com,edition.cnn.com
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97 Comments
- fatguy112over 12 yearsawesome you people are great really cool!!!!!!!!!!!!
swirlylollypopsabout 14 yearsit's kind of creepy...- Brandon W.over 14 yearsThis article is really good for learning about this animal. I would recimend this artical to any one who wants learn about this animal.
- Nina Palmaover 14 yearsI really enjoyed this article! I would definatly recommend this to people who love to read about animals. But what surprises me is that the wide eyed mammal has been seen only four times since 1937.
- liethdallalover 14 yearsI liked this article , and I recommend it to other people. I like to read about rare animals and I wish scientists to find these creatures, so we can learn more about them.
- David P.over 14 yearsI really liked this article. I would recommend people to read this very intresting article. I think people who are intrested in animals would really like to read this article and find out about this almost extinct and cool primate.I hope this animal wont be extinct.
- Vincent Wover 14 yearsWOW this is very scientific.I wish they have them at the zoo.
- Lidia Matamala over 14 yearsI enjoyed this article because I learned a little about the Horton Plains Slender Loris. I always thought the Horton Plains Slender Loris was little bit more slender.
- Joris B over 14 yearsI enjoyed reading the article because it is a interesting animal and it looks scary. I would recommend it to a friend because he will learn a little bit about the Prosimian.
- Nikola P.over 14 yearsI really liked this article. I thought that the the animal was extinct. The eyes on him make some people really scary.I would recommend it to friends to read ,because then they will know that this animal is still alive. I hope that the animal won't be extinct.