Reproductive Biology of the Slender Loris (Loris lydekkerianus lydekkerianus)

The slender loris (Loris lydekkerianus lydekkerianus), a nocturnal prosim-ian, was studied for 21 months in its natural habitat of scrub jungle in Dindigul, south India. Here we report on its reproductive biology. Identified and unidentified lorises were observed for a total of 2,656 h. Reproductive seasonality was seen, with births and oestrus observed to be highest in April–June and October–December. The mating system was promiscuous with 1 female mating successively with 3–4 males. A gestation period of 5.5 months and an inter-birth interval of 7 months were recorded. Adult females had a reproductive potential of 4 infants per year. The findings presented in this paper constitute the first information on the life history parameters of wild slender lorises.