Page 35 - World of Animals - Issue #39

Slow loris

4. Grip

Hands like miniature vices
Life in the treetops means that you have to be
able to hold on. Slow lorises have exceptional
grip which means they can stay glued to trees
even when upside down. The fingers and toes
are equally powerful and each hand and foot
features an opposable thumb, allowing a full
range of motion. The second digit is greatly
reduced, possibly to help the animal harvest
nectar and honey.
Even the specialised blood vessels of this
animal allow it to maintain its grip, by giving
extra oxygen to the muscles that are straining
to battle gravity. This adaptation also handily
avoids cramps if the animal needs to move at
top speed.
When on the hunt, slow lorises use their grip
to immobilise prey. They are known to feed on
small mammals and birds, and a lightning-quick
grab with the knuckles of steel prevents their
prey from escaping.
Hold on tight

The slow loris shares its pincer-like grip with
other primates like lorises and pottos

Sunda slow loris Red slender loris

ABOVE The nocturnal
slow loris lives in the
trees and its powerful
grip helps it to climb
through the branches
during the dark of night
Calabar potto Bosman’s potto

Giant anteater Leopard seal Pufferfish
With poor vision and no teeth you’d think the Though goofy-looking, the four-metre (13-foot) Famous for their poison if prepared incorrectly,
giant anteater would be harmless, but these leopard seal is a deadly predator that has been pufferfish are equally as dangerous when alive. ©Alamy; NaturePL; Shutterstock; Thinkstock
insectivores have been known to maul humans known to drown humans, seemingly on purpose. These cute little creatures contains tetrodotoxin,
to death with their massive claws. They probably Antarctica’s most dangerous animal has sharp which makes them taste awful to other fish and
stand up on their hind legs to do this, reaching teeth that it uses to kill other seals and penguins, is lethal to humans. One pufferfish contains
their full two-metre (seven-foot) height. though it often kills just for sport. enough toxin to kill 30 fully-grown men.

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