if one sees that of dreamy three-looking Potto only on the day, so one hardly believes that it is a skillful insect-hunter and bad nest-robber. During the day, it is to be always persuaded sleepily and hardly to any activity.
it sleeps, the head under the arms hidden, either upright in the liana-tangle or, on the side lying, rolled up in a hollow log. However, it can rest the whole day also at hands and feet, as hangs a sloth. its particularly arranged hands and feet make a long-ongoing adherence to the branches possible without it tiring (Loris).
Shape The Potto has a catchy shape. If one looks consciously at it oneself once, one will be able not to confuse it with any more other animal surely. it admittedly has a certain similarity with the Plumplori and the Kuskuse (a marsupial), however it doesn't have any so long gripping-tail like more final and is more or less monochrome in contrast to the Plumplori. Furthermore, the Plumplori has only a quite short stub-tail, during which is the Potto 5-10 cm long after all. The head-torso-length of the Potto amounts to 30-37 cm. it is the biggest representative of the Loris.
The Potto has a "chubby" body and a notably round face with two big ones, flat curved forehead-hills, that a distinctive look awards it. The face appears rather broadly than high and carries only a short nose. The Potto possesses gigantic, dark night-animal-eyes and only small, bare stub-ears. The sockets are directional and not easily at the side standing forward and above, as with other semi-monkeys. The dense fur is gray, brown-gray, brown or bay, the underside is, as with most animals, colored always more brightly. Through its short, nearly immediately long poor and legs, it seems stocky. it has the gripping-hands typical for Loris, with which far opponierbaren thumbs and the reduced index finger.
The Potto has long on the neck, densely standing Tasthaare. In the area of this Tasthaare, the neck-fuss-fort-sentences are exceptionally extended so that they stick out thorn-nicely outside. At aggressive confrontations of the males, they push with the bestachelten back according to the adversary. Also against enemies, Sneak cats, owls and Warane, the Potto uses its neck-fuss-fort-sentences as weapon. In the birth, these fort-sentences are not yet trained but grows only within the first 30 life-days.
Way of life The Potto is a pure tree-inhabitant. it lives in central-Africa in tropical rain-forests and in mountain-forests until 1800 m. it is above all on high branches of big jungle-trees. Only very rarely, it is to be looked at the ground once. The Potto is purely night-active.
Each animal lives individually and has a certain precinct. This territory is marked with secretions of skin-glands of the anal-region. A male-territory covers several female-territories. The sexes meet probably only to the reproductive-time.
The Potto climbs quadruped in a rolling, extremely careful walk through the branches. it places a foot onward only when the remaining three feet have solid hold. So, it sneaks without disruption through the branches.
its movements appear slow-motion-like, and one is surprised, can suddenly grab with which movement fast as lightning of the Potto, if it fixed a loot. it lives from insects, small mammals and reptiles as well as young birds, eats however also snails and bird-eggs. Nuts, fruits and leaves or other plant-food amount a not irrelevant part of the food.
Reproduction The Potto doesn't have any solid reproductive-times. It was born boy once per year 1-2. The baby clings at the mother's stomach or is left behind during the nightly stalks at a branch in order to be picked up again in the morning. If the young became one month old, it is carried by the mother on the back. The mother suckles its child 2-3 months. Pottos went round the bend with one three-fourths of year. They became in captivity over 20 year old.
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