Bangka slow loris rediscovered in Indonesia after nearly a century

The Bangka slow loris (Nycticebus bancanus), a small nocturnal primate previously thought to be extinct, has been rediscovered on Bangka Island, Indonesia. A study published in the journal Spixiana reveals that the Alobi Wildlife Rescue Center documented more than 90 specimens between 2015 and 2025.

The species had not been reliably documented since the early 1930s. In 2020, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) had classified the primate as critically endangered and possibly extinct. Many of the rediscovered individuals were found in residential areas, gardens, plantations, and roads, often suffering injuries from electrical wires.

Researchers noted that the species is one of the few venomous mammals; it produces a secretion from glands near its elbows that it mixes with saliva to inoculate bites. While 86 animals were successfully treated and returned to their natural habitats, experts warn that the species remains under threat from tin mining and deforestation caused by palm oil expansion.