A small venomous primate that scientists thought was extinct is still living on an Indonesian island.
With its enormous round eyes and very slow movements, the Bangka slow loris easily goes unnoticed in the trees, especially at night. This species lives on Bangka Island, east of Sumatra. Scientists had almost no published evidence of its presence since the 1930s.
A Bornean slow loris (Nycticebus menagensis), a close relative of the Bangka slow loris.
Source: Wikimedia Commons.
The situation seemed so alarming that the species was classified as critically endangered, with the note “possibly extinct.” Yet Bangka residents continued to encounter it. Some found it in their gardens, on a road, or even on electrical cables.
Even more tellingly, since 2015, the Indonesian animal protection center Alobi has regularly taken in these lorises. Residents or authorities alert caretakers when an animal is injured, lost, or being kept in captivity. This work has provided evidence of the species’ presence that scientific publications had not yet taken into account.
A team of researchers compiled this information in a study published in October 2026. Between 2015 and 2025, Alobi cared for more than 90 Bangka slow lorises. Of these, 86 were treated and then released in seven forest areas on the island.
These observations come from several regions of Bangka. The animal is therefore not limited to a single small known refuge. But no one yet knows how many lorises actually live in the wild, or whether the groups can easily encounter one another among the remaining fragments of forest.
The Bangka slow loris has a rare characteristic: it is venomous. To defend itself, it can mix a substance produced by glands near its arms with its saliva. Its bite can then cause painful, sometimes dangerous reactions. Despite its endearing appearance, it is therefore not an animal to handle.
Its presence on the island does not mean it is safe. Tin mines and oil palm plantations have destroyed much of its habitat. Roads, power lines, and the illegal pet trade also pose threats.
For researchers, the priority now is to determine the size of the populations and protect the forests that remain available. This story above all serves as a reminder of one thing: a species can disappear from scientific publications without ever having left the daily lives of the people who live alongside it.