Story from Jam Press (Cute Venomous Primate)Pictured: One of the twin primates born last month to proud parents Ramina, nine, and Lapek, 14.Cute but deadly! Zoo welcomes rare adorable twin primates but they are the only venomous ones on planetA zoo has welcomed rare, adorable twin primates, but they are the only venomous ones on the planet.The baby Pygmy Slow Lorises - an endangered species - maybe super cute.But their venom to repel predators can cause an anaphylactic shock and even death in humansAmazon World Zoo Park, in Sandown, Isle of Wight has welcomed the pair.The twins were born last month to proud parents Ramina, nine, and Lapek, 14.They are the only Pygmy Slow Lorises born in the UK in the last year.Only seven other zoos across Europe have recorded loris births in the past year, according to global zoological database ZIMS.Despite their wide-eyed charm and delicate size, these primates come with a surprising twist, they are venomous."They are the world's only venomous primate," said a spokesperson for Amazon World Zoo Park."They produce oil from the brachial gland on their upper arm."When they raise their arms and lick the gland, enzymes in their saliva mix with the oil to produce venom that gets pulled into their toothcomb and by grooming their babies they can protect them from predators."Pygmy Slow Loris are classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List as the species is estimated to have undergone a decline in its population of more than 50% over the last 24 years.This is due to illegal wildlife trade, habitat destruction, and exploitation for traditional medicine."These tiny twins represent hope," the spokesperson added."Every birth is a step toward securing a future for this incredible species. And let's be honest – they're absolutely adorable."The twins are currently nestled safely in the zoo's Twilight Zone exhibit.ENDS,Image: 1009639837, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions:, Model Release: no

Pritlikavi počasni loriji so ogrožena živalska vrsta. Foto: Profimedia

Prikupna, a smrtonosna: Majhna dvojčka edinih strupenih primatov

V živalskem vrtu na otoku Wight sta se skotila dvojčka pritlikavih počasnih lorijev, ki sta videti kot ljubke igrače, a sta edina strupena primata na svetu.

29. 06. 2025, 08.00

Čeprav so njihove ogromne oči in miniaturne šape prikupne, skrivajo neprijetno tekočino. Ko so pritlikavi počasni loriji ogroženi, si poližejo žlezo na komolcih in proizvedejo strup, ki se jim steče v zobe – in tako postanejo potencialno smrtonosni. V divjini se njihov strup uporablja za obrambo.

Strup pri ljudeh povzroči pekoč občutek v jeziku in grlu, nizek krvni tlak, mišične krče, težave s srcem in dihali, nezavest in v skrajni obliki celo smrt zaradi anafilaktičnega šoka.

Story from Jam Press (Cute Venomous Primate)Pictured: Twin primates born last month to proud parents Ramina, nine, and Lapek, 14.Cute but deadly! Zoo welcomes rare adorable twin primates but they are the only venomous ones on planetA zoo has welcomed rare, adorable twin primates, but they are the only venomous ones on the planet.The baby Pygmy Slow Lorises - an endangered species - maybe super cute.But their venom to repel predators can cause an anaphylactic shock and even death in humansAmazon World Zoo Park, in Sandown, Isle of Wight has welcomed the pair.The twins were born last month to proud parents Ramina, nine, and Lapek, 14.They are the only Pygmy Slow Lorises born in the UK in the last year.Only seven other zoos across Europe have recorded loris births in the past year, according to global zoological database ZIMS.Despite their wide-eyed charm and delicate size, these primates come with a surprising twist, they are venomous."They are the world's only venomous primate," said a spokesperson for Amazon World Zoo Park."They produce oil from the brachial gland on their upper arm."When they raise their arms and lick the gland, enzymes in their saliva mix with the oil to produce venom that gets pulled into their toothcomb and by grooming their babies they can protect them from predators."Pygmy Slow Loris are classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List as the species is estimated to have undergone a decline in its population of more than 50% over the last 24 years.This is due to illegal wildlife trade, habitat destruction, and exploitation for traditional medicine."These tiny twins represent hope," the spokesperson added."Every birth is a step toward securing a future for this incredible species. And let's be honest – they're absolutely adorable."The twins are currently nestled safely in the zoo's Twilight Zone exhibit.ENDS,Image: 1009639784, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions:, Model Release: no

Dvojčka sta se skotila prejšnji mesec staršema Ramini in Lapeku. Foto: Profimedia

Skotitev dveh lorijev v živalskem vrtu Amazon World je prva v Veliki Britaniji v enem letu in ena redkih v vsej Evropi. Pritlikavi počasni loriji so namreč zaradi krivolovcev, krčenja gozdov in tradicionalne medicine ogrožena vrsta. Mednarodna baza podatkov navaja manj kot deset živalskih vrtov, ki jim je uspelo dobiti naraščaj. Vsaka nova žival je upanje, da vrsta ne bo izumrla.

V naravi sicer te živali poseljujejo območja Vietnama, Kambodže, Laosa in Kitajske. Pritlikavega počasnega lorija (Xanthonycticebus pygmaeus) si pri nas lahko ogledate v Tropski hiši v Celju - tam domuje samec z imenom Či.