Indonesia Finds Lost Venomous Primate After 100 Years

While scientists believed this species was extinct, the local wildlife rescue center Alobi continued to care for the animals.

Consensus

• The presence of the venomous slow loris Nycticebus bancanus was confirmed on Bangka Island, Indonesia.
• The species was believed to be lost or possibly extinct since the 1930s.
• Local residents on Bangka Island had regularly encountered the animals in residential areas, near roads, and on power lines.
• The conservation center Alobi rescued and rehabilitated over 90 loris individuals between 2015 and 2025.
• The loris is the only known venomous primate, with venom produced by glands near the elbow that becomes toxic when mixed with saliva.
• The loris's habitat is threatened by tin mining and palm oil plantations.
• The species was first described in 1906 and recognized as a distinct species in 2013.

Points of divergence

• The discovery was reported on October 20, according to People. — vm
• The venom causes tissue damage and necrosis in humans, and the loris's venom contains a protein similar to a cat allergen, which can trigger severe allergic reactions including anaphylactic shock. — vm
• The species was last documented in the 1930s, and the IUCN listed it as possibly extinct. — fontanka
• Researchers recently found DNA fragments of an unknown species of yak in Denisova Cave on the Altai, which is unrelated to the loris discovery. — vm

Coverage (3 sources)

• In Indonesia, a poisonous ape that scientists thought was lost for nearly a century was found — Фонтанка
• In Indonesia, a primate missing for about a century has been found — a slow loris, according to a study published... — ТАСС (Telegram)
• The world's only poisonous apes found after 100 years in Indonesia — Вечерняя Москва

Key entities

• Indonesia
• Bangka
• Bank
• People
• Alobi
• Spixiana