Potto

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Potto [1]
PottoCincyZoo.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Suborder: Strepsirrhini
Family: Lorisidae
Subfamily: Perodicticinae
Genus: Perodicticus
Bennett, 1831
Type species
Lemur potto
Müller, 1766
Species

Perodicticus edwardsi
Perodicticus ibeanus
Perodicticus potto

Contents

Perodicticus potto distribution.svg
Geographic range of all three species

The pottos are three species of strepsirrhine primate in the genus Perodicticus of the family Lorisidae. In some English-speaking parts of Africa, they are called "softly-softlys". [2]

Etymology

The common name "potto" may be from Wolof pata (a tailless monkey). [3]

The generic name Perodicticus is composed of Greek πηρός (pērós, ‘maimed’) and δεικτικός (deiktikós, "able to show/indicate", cf. δείκτης , deíktēs, ‘index finger’). It refers to the stubby index finger that seems mutilated. [4] [5]

Taxonomy

There are three species recognized by the IUCN Red List and American Society of Mammalogists: [1] [6] [7]

Genus Perodicticus Bennett, 1831 – three species
Common nameScientific name and subspeciesRangeSize and ecologyIUCN status and estimated population
Central African potto

Perodicticus potto - Royal Museum for Central Africa - DSC06787.JPG

P. edwardsi
Bouvier, 1879
Central AfricaSize: 30–37 cm (12–15 in) long, plus 3–7 cm (1–3 in) tail [8]

Habitat: Forest [9]

Diet: Gum, insects, snails and fruit [9]
 LC 


Unknown Decrease2.svg [9]

East African potto

East African Potto.jpg

P. ibeanus
Thomas, 1910

Two subspecies
  • P. i. ibeanus (Eastern potto)
  • P. i. stockleyi (Mount Kenya potto)
East central AfricaSize: 29–37 cm (11–15 in) long, plus 4–10 cm (2–4 in) tail [8]

Habitat: Forest [10]

Diet: Fruit, gum, nectar, and invertebrates, as well as moss, frogs, and eggs [10]
 LC 


Unknown Steady2.svg [10]

West African potto

PottoCincyZoo.jpg

P. potto
(P. Müller, 1766)
Western equatorial AfricaSize: 30–39 cm (12–15 in) long, plus 3–10 cm (1–4 in) tail [11]

Habitat: Forest [12]

Diet: Fruit, arthropods, insects, and eggs, as well as small vertebrates [11]
 NT 


Unknown Decrease2.svg [12]

Formerly, all species were classified under one species, P. potto. However, variation among pottos is significant, prompting speculation that there may be more than one species. A 2015 study confirmed there to be three distinct potto species with deep genetic divergence dating to the Miocene for all three species. [13]

A few closely related species also have "potto" in their names: the two golden potto species (also known as angwantibos) and the false potto. Although it has been suggested that the differences that separate the false potto from the West African potto are a result of an anomalous specimen being used as the holotype which may have been a West African potto. [14]

The Central and South American kinkajou (Potos flavus) and olingos ( Bassaricyon sp.) are similar in appearance and behavior to African pottos, and were formerly classified with them (hence Potos). Olingos and kinkajous are now known to be members of the raccoon family. [15] [16] [17]

Description

Potto hand Potto hand Mivart.png
Potto hand

The potto grows to a length of 30 to 39 cm, with a short (3 to 10 cm) tail, and its weight varies from 600 to 1,600 grams (21 to 56 oz). [19] The close, woolly fur is grey-brown. The index finger is vestigial, although it has opposable thumbs with which it grasps branches firmly. Like other strepsirrhines the potto has a moist nose, toothcomb, and a toilet claw on the second toe of the hind legs. In the hands and feet, fingers three and four are connected to each other by a slight skin fold, while toes three through five are joined at their bases by a skin web that extends to near the proximal third of the toes. [20]

The neck has four to six low tubercles or growths that cover its elongated vertebrae which have sharp points and nearly pierce the skin; these are used as defensive weapons. [21] Both males and females have large scent glands under the tail (in females, the swelling created by the glands is known as a pseudo-scrotum), which they use to mark their territories and to reinforce pair bonds. [22] The potto has a distinct odor that some observers have likened to curry. [19]

Distribution and habitat

Pottos inhabit the canopy of rain forests in tropical Africa: from Nigeria, Guinea to Kenya and Uganda into the north of the Democratic Republic of Congo. [23] They are nocturnal and arboreal, sleeping during the day in the leaves and almost never descending from the trees. [22]

Behaviour and ecology

Potto gripping branches Perodicticus potto - Royal Museum for Central Africa - DSC06787.JPG
Potto gripping branches

Pottos move slowly and carefully, always gripping a branch with at least two limbs. They are also quiet and avoid predators using cryptic movement. The most common call is a high-pitched "tsic", which is used mainly between mother and offspring. [21]

Studies of stomach contents have shown the potto diet consists of about 65% fruit, 21% tree gums and 10% insects. [21] Pottos have also occasionally been known to catch bats and small birds. [22] Their strong jaws enable it to eat fruits and lumps of dried gum that are too tough for other tree-dwellers. The insects they eat tend to have a strong smell and are generally not eaten by other animals. [19]

Pottos have large territories which they mark with urine and glandular secretions. Same-sex intruders are vehemently guarded against, and each male's territory generally overlaps with that of two or more females. Females have been known to donate part of their territories to their daughters, but sons leave their mother's territory upon maturity. [19]

As part of their courting rituals, pottos often meet for bouts of mutual grooming. This is frequently performed while they hang upside down from a branch. Grooming consists of licking, combing fur with the grooming claw and teeth, and anointing with the scent glands. Pottos mate face-to-face while hanging upside down from a branch. [19] [24]

After a gestation period of about 193–205 days, the female gives birth, typically to a single young, but twins are known to occur. The young first are clasped to the belly of the mother, but later she carries them on her back. She can also hide her young in the leaves while searching for food. After about six months, they are weaned, and are fully mature after about 18 months. [19]

Predators and defences

Perodicticus potto skeleton Bosmans potto skeleton.JPG
Perodicticus potto skeleton

Pottos have relatively few predators, because large mammalian carnivores cannot climb to the treetops where they live, and the birds of prey in this part of Africa are diurnal. [21] Pottos living near villages face some predation from humans, who hunt them as bushmeat; the West African potto is thought to be threatened due to this. [25] [26] They are sometimes preyed upon by African palm civets, although African palm civets are largely frugivorous. [19]

If threatened, the potto will hide its face and neck-butt its opponent, making use of its unusual vertebrae. It can also deliver a powerful bite. Its saliva contains compounds that cause the wound to become inflamed. [19]

The highest recorded life span for a potto in captivity is 26 years. [27]

Cognition and social behaviour

In a study of strepsirrhine cognition conducted in 1964, pottos were seen to explore and manipulate unfamiliar objects, but only when those objects were baited with food. They were found to be more curious than lorises and lesser bushbabies, but less so than lemurs. [28] Ursula Cowgill, a biologist at Yale University who looked after six captive pottos for several decades, noticed they appeared to form altruistic relationships. The captive pottos were seen to spend time with a sick companion and to save food for an absent one. However, there is no confirmation this behaviour occurs in the wild.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lorisidae</span> Family of primates

Lorisidae is a family of strepsirrhine primates. The lorisids are all slim arboreal animals and comprise the lorises, pottos and angwantibos. Lorisids live in tropical, central Africa as well as in south and southeast Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Perodicticinae</span> Subfamily of primates

Perodicticinae is a subfamily of the family Lorisidae. It includes five species of African primates as shown under taxonomy below.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lesser bushbaby</span> Genus of primates

Lesser bushbabies, or lesser galagos, are strepsirrhine primates of the genus Galago. They are classified, along with the other bushbaby and galago genera in the family Galagidae. They are probably the most numerous primate in Africa, and can be found in every large forest on the continent, inhabiting forested areas, savannas, riverine bush and open woodlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greater galago</span> Genus of primates

The greater galagos or thick-tailed bushbabies are three species of strepsirrhine primates. They are classified in the genus Otolemur in the family Galagidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angwantibo</span> Genus of primates

Angwantibos are two species of strepsirrhine primates classified in the genus Arctocebus of the family Lorisidae. They are also known as golden pottos because of their yellow or golden coloration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guenon</span> Genus of Old World monkeys

The guenons are Old World monkeys of the genus Cercopithecus. Not all members of this genus have the word "guenon" in their common names; also, because of changes in scientific classification, some monkeys in other genera may have common names that include the word "guenon". Nonetheless, the use of the term guenon for monkeys of this genus is widely accepted.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-eyelid mangabey</span> Genus of Old World monkeys

The white-eyelid mangabeys are African Old World monkeys belonging to the genus Cercocebus. They are characterized by their bare upper eyelids, which are lighter than their facial skin colouring, and the uniformly coloured hairs of the fur. The other two genera of mangabeys, Lophocebus and Rungwecebus, were once thought to be very closely related to Cercocebus, so much so that all the species were placed in one genus, but Lophocebus and Rungwecebus species are now understood to be more closely related to the baboons in genus Papio, while the Cercocebus species are more closely related to the mandrill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calabar angwantibo</span> Species of mammal

The Calabar angwantibo, also known as the Calabar potto, is a strepsirrhine primate of the family Lorisidae. It shares the genus Arctocebus with the golden angwantibo. It is closely related to the potto and to the various lorises.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golden angwantibo</span> Species of primate

The golden angwantibo is a strepsirrhine primate of the family Lorisidae. It shares the genus Arctocebus with the Calabar angwantibo and together they are commonly called the golden pottos. The golden angwantibo is found in Cameroon, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. Its usual habitat is rain forest, but it has also been known to live on farmland.

The false potto is a lorisoid primate of uncertain taxonomic status found in Africa. Anthropologist Jeffrey H. Schwartz named it in 1996 as the only species of the genus Pseudopotto on the basis of two specimens that had previously been identified as a potto (Perodicticus). The precise provenances of the two specimens are uncertain, but at least one may have come from Cameroon. Schwartz thought the false potto could even represent a separate family, but other researchers have argued that the supposed distinguishing features of the animal do not actually distinguish it from the potto; specifically, the false potto shares several features with the West African potto.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bioko Allen's bushbaby</span> Species of primate

Bioko Allen's bushbaby, also known as the Bioko squirrel galago, is a species of primate in the galago family found in Cameroon, Nigeria, and the island of Bioko, Equatorial Guinea. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests. The bushbaby is currently near-threatened, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western dwarf galago</span> Species of primate

The western dwarf galagos are a group of three species of strepsirrhine primates, native to western and central Africa. They are classified in the genus Galagoides of the family Galagidae. The eastern dwarf galagos have been moved to their own genus, Paragalago, based on genetic evidence and differences in vocalization. The two genera are not sister taxa and thus may have evolved their small sizes via parallel evolution. They are separated by the East African Rift.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mohol bushbaby</span> Species of primate

The Mohol bushbaby is a species of primate in the family Galagidae which is native to mesic woodlands of the southern Afrotropics. It is physically very similar to the Senegal bushbaby, and was formerly considered to be its southern variety. The two species differ markedly in their biology however, and no hybrids have been recorded in captivity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gray slender loris</span> Species of primate

The gray slender loris is a species of primate in the family Loridae. It is native to India and Sri Lanka and inhabits subtropical and tropical dry forests and subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cross River bushbaby</span> Subspecies of primate

The Cross River bushbaby, also known as the Cross River squirrel galago, is a subspecies of prosimian primate in the family Galagidae which is endemic to a restricted area of West Africa. It is one of four species of squirrel galago in the genus Sciurocheirus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Squirrel galago</span> Species of primate

The squirrel galagos are a group of four species of strepsirrhine primates. They are classified in the genus Sciurocheirus of the family Galagidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West African potto</span> Species of primate

The West African potto is a species of nocturnal strepsirrhine primate. It is found in tropical West Africa. It is also known as Bosman's potto, after Willem Bosman, who described the species in 1704. It is the type species of the genus Perodicticus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central African potto</span> Species of primate

The Central African potto is a species of nocturnal strepsirrhine primate. It is found in Central Africa. It is also known as Milne-Edwards's potto, after Alphonse Milne-Edwards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East African potto</span> Species of primate

The East African potto is a species of nocturnal strepsirrhine primate. It is found in Central and East Africa.

References

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Sources