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Potto - PERODICTICUS POTTO
Endangered
Class: Animals with Milk Glands (Mammalia)
The word "Potto": "Potto" probably comes from the African word "pata," meaning tailless monkey.
Description: The potto's color varies depending on the age, sex and type, ranging from reddish brown to black. The fur is very thick and woolly. The very short tail is barely visible beneath the coat. The round head has a short, wide face. The cervical vertebrae are protruding and form a series of spiny bumps beneath the bare skin. Length of head and body 12 to 18 in, tail only about 2.4 in, weight 2.2 to 3.3 lbs.
Location: Western and central Africa.
Habitat: Arboreal. This species is restricted to equatorial forests, including rain forest and montane forest.
Behavior: The rarely sighted potto is nocturnal, spending the daylight hours dozing in the branches of trees, curled up with its head between its legs. It clings tightly to its branch and is not easily removed. It can defend itself most effectively with powerful bites. It never descends to the ground, and feeds mainly on fruit and plant matter, but also on insects and slugs. It lives a solitary existence, and even its courtship and mating period is a brief one. Its main enemy is the palm owl. When it moves from one branch to the next, or one tree to the next, it places one foot after the other, alternately, as if on a tightrope, but always with great caution.
Reproduction: Little is known about the potto's breeding habits, but there is usually only a single young.
Go to the Primates Page to learn more about the other man-like animals.
Go to the Index to compare the various lorises found in America Zoo.
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