With its enormous eyes, reddish-brown fur and adorable face, the Bangka slow loris looks like something straight out of a storybook. But this tiny primate has a surprising secret: It’s venomous, and scientists feared it might be extinct.
Now, nearly 100 years after it was last scientifically documented, researchers have confirmed that the rare animal is still alive in Indonesia.
According to Reuters, a new study published in the journal Spixiana confirms that the critically endangered Bangka slow loris has survived on the Indonesian island of Bangka, off the coast of Sumatra.
The discovery came after researchers examined records from an Indonesian wildlife rescue organization that had encountered more than 90 Bangka slow lorises between 2015 and 2025. The animals were found in different parts of the island, confirming that the species had survived despite decades of habitat loss.
“The Bangka slow loris is still alive,” said Timon Glaw, a graduate student in nature conservation and biodiversity management at the Haus des Meeres Aqua Terra Zoo in Vienna, Austria, and one of the authors of the study.
“What I find particularly astonishing is that such a charismatic and distinctive primate has received so little scientific attention for nearly a century,” said Glaw. “Its rediscovery also offers hope that other species feared to be extinct may still survive in places where scientists have not looked for decades. After all, Bangka is just about an hour flight from Jakarta, one of the largest cities in the world.”
What Is the Bangka Slow Loris, and Why Is It Venomous?
The Bangka slow loris is a small, nocturnal primate more closely related to lemurs than apes, Reuters explains. Known scientifically as Nycticebus bancanus, it has reddish-brown fur and large eyes and moves slowly through the trees. The species was previously listed as one of the “lost primates” by conservation group Re:wild.
Like other slow lorises, the Bangka slow loris is venomous. It produces a secretion from specialized glands near its elbows, which it mixes with saliva by licking the glands. The venom can then be delivered through its bite.
“The venom can cause severe allergic reactions in humans, potentially even life-threatening ones,” said Glaw. “Research on other slow loris species suggests that the venom is used primarily in conflicts with other lorises, although it may also serve defensive functions against predators and parasites.”
It’s believed that the Bangka slow loris eats insects, tree gums, nectar, and other plant parts, much like other loris species.
An Indonesian wildlife rescue center documented sightings of the lorises from 2015 through 2025 and reported that most were found when rescued from homes, gardens, plantations, or roads. Others were injured, particularly from electrical wires on the island, and some died even with treatment. Of the more than 90 discovered by the organization, 86 were reported as having been returned to the wild.
“The most urgent priority is to protect the remaining natural forests on Bangka from further destruction, particularly through tin mining and the expansion of oil palm plantations,” Glaw shared. “Every species is the result of millions of years of evolution and part of a complex ecological network, and losing the Bangka slow loris would mean losing something truly irreplaceable.”
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