The slow loris, a small primate native to Southeast Asia, may appear cuddly and cute, but it harbors a dangerous secret. This nocturnal animal has a gland in its elbow that produces a toxic secretion.

Then, with a quick lick, the oil secreted from glands in their elbow is mixed with saliva to produce a toxic concoction. A slow loris’s bite is so toxic it can kill a human. Not so cute.

However, a slow loris with its arms raised is actually taking a defensive posture. The primate raises its arms for easy access to the toxin-producing brachial gland under its arm. The animal licks the ...

This story appears in the October 2017 issue of National Geographic magazine. After videos of slow lorises being tickled and fed rice balls in captivity swept the Internet, the wide-eyed animals ...

Professor Nekaris has published more than 300 scientific papers and 10 edited volumes, and her studies cover all species of slow, pygmy and slender lorises, including five she named or elevated ...

Known for its unique physical features, and behaviour, the slow loris has large eyes and a big brain, and looks very cute ...