Trapping, Collaring and Monitoring the Lorisinae of Asia (Loris,Nycticebus) and Perodicticinae (Arctocebus,Perodicticus) of Africa

Abstract

We can gain a better understanding of elusive nocturnal mammals through live trapping them to gain vital samples and measurements and through following them in the night with radio or GPS collars. Studies that involve humane live-trapping of a species open the doors into better understanding a species' evolution, diversity, adaptations, and behaviour. We review 11 studies that have attempted to trap lorises and pottos with physical traps, and show that this method yields very low success, and is achievable largely with traps specifically built and designed for the species. Hand trapping, however, was successful in 7 studies, and we make recommendations for this procedure. Once caught, we provide a detailed list of measurements and samples that can be taken, and review 14 studies (both reintroduction and wild) that have used various radio collars to track lorises and pottos. We intend that these recommendations will provide a standard by which lorises and pottos can be compared throughout their range.

Slow learning of feeding skills in a nocturnal extractive forager

“…We observed the slow lorises using Clulite LED headlamps with a red filter (Cluson Engineering Ltd., Hampshire, U.K.). We found no negative effect on slow loris behaviour under red lights (Nekaris et al, 2020). Using a published ethogram (Rode-Margono et al, 2014), we collected general activity data nightly in two shifts (1800-0000, 0000-0600) at 5 min intervals using instantaneous focal sampling (Altmann, 1974).…”

“…We defined age classes as follows: infants: birth until 153 days old; juveniles: 154-365 days old; subadults: 366-730 days old; adults: > 731 days old (Poindexter & Nekaris, 2017;Nekaris et al, 2019). We caught animals by hand, placing them in a clean cotton weighing bag, and took standard measurements with no anaesthesia (Nekaris, Munds, & Pimley, 2020). We equipped the slow lorises with radiocollars (BioTrack, Dorset, U.K., 17 g, which is ~2% of an animal's body weight) with battery life of approximately 1 year attached to the neck with a rubber-coated cable tie; we then inserted a mini Microchip ID LTD chip.…”

A review of research on the distribution, ecology, behaviour, and conservation of the Slender Loris Loris lydekkerianus (Mammalia: Primates: Lorisidae) in India

“…Once a loris is detected, the animal should be approached only with red filtered lights for closer observations.We again emphasize that even the diffused white light should be used only under exceptional circumstances and must be avoided as much as possible. There are several kinds of spotlights now available for field observations, as extra trail lights, and for spotting and filming animals from a vehicle (Nekaris et al 2020). Since the lorises are active almost throughout the night, and in different light phases, the assessment can be carried out at any time of the night and also at any time of the light phase (Kumara & Radhakrishna 2013).…”

Examining the molecular basis of coat color in a nocturnal primate family (Lorisidae)

“…Due to the difficulty of trapping Lorisidae from the wild (Munds et al, 2018;Nekaris et al, 2020), we obtained samples (already extracted DNA from various tissue sources, or whole tissue samples we extracted from such as hair) and photographs from American Zoological Association (AZA) institutions. As the majority of our tissue samples are from hair follicles which are a poor source of genomic DNA, we focused our project on a few key genes (MC1R, mitochondrially encoded cytochrome b (MT-CYB)), rather than taking a more genome-wide approach.…”

“…Yet, such research provides a window into understanding and developing future projects that can further explore this topic in-depth. Lorisidae species are challenging to catch in the wild (Nekaris et al, 2020), but they are a fascinating family to study the evolution of coat color and patterns for aposematism (Nekaris et al, 2013(Nekaris et al, , 2020. Future research on these primates and on these topics should examine the genetics of wild populations and incorporate other genes that are known to influence patterning and coloration.…”