Golden potto  (Arctocebus aureus)

Description

This small, nocturnal primate has thick, woolly fur, which, as its name suggests, is golden-red or orange in colour. The underparts are creamy or greyish, and fine guard hairs on the back, shoulders and haunches have crinkled tips, giving the fur a frosted appearance. The head is rounded, with a pointed, narrow muzzle, the ears are small and rounded, and the eyes are large, giving the golden potto excellent night vision (2) (4) (5). The golden potto has no tail, and, instead, its extremely powerful grip, made possible by a specialised arrangement of blood vessels in the wrists and ankles, aids it in moving securely through the trees (2) (6). In common with other Loridae (lorises and pottos), the golden potto has nails on all digits except for the second digit of each foot, which possesses a ‘toilet claw’, used in grooming (2) (6). Interestingly, the index finger is reduced to a mere stub (2) (5) (6).

Previously considered a subspecies of the Calabar Potto, Arctocebus calabarensis, the golden potto is smaller, more slender, and has shorter and brighter red-orange fur (4) (5) (6).

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