New Primates Discovered In SL; Hiding In Jungles For Years

For more than a century, scientists considered lorises, a type of reclusive, tree-dwelling primates, to have two distinct species in Sri Lanka —however, new research indicates 5 to six new species. They’ve been hiding in plain sight, coming out at night and are thus not easy to observe.

- Avi Kumar

About the size of a squirrel with long limbs, this shy, furry, nocturnal primate is found in the tropical forests of Sri Lanka and grows to between 6-10 inches. It has a round head, two large eyes - imagine a miniature monkey with owl-like eyes. It is very cute, almost like a cartoon character/ a skinny teddy bear. Apart from being so cute, what makes it so interesting is its cryptic nature. This is why it took so long to discover the new species/ subspecies.

Compared to how the Sinhala words for the two native monkeys, Rilawa (macaque) and vanthura (languor) reflect knowledge of the two different species vs how unuhapuluwa is used as an umbrella term for all native lorises. In Tamil, another native language, they also have one word (thevangu) to describe this tiny mammal.

Historically, many primate species worldwide went unrecognised as they were falsely clumped together as the same species. Recently, the number of ‘identified’ primate species has doubled, just in the past 20 years mostly due to science and DNA study advancements.

Unlike leopards, elephants or even lions; the latter of which isn’t even found in Sri Lanka and yet seen on the national flag, in contrast you seldom see lorises in indigenous art, mythology or culture. You rarely see them in modern tourist ads either.