loeris

Dutch loeris meant 'clown' or 'booby'—a simpleton, a fool. When Dutch traders in Southeast Asia encountered a small, round-eyed primate that moved with agonizing slowness and had a permanent expression of bewildered surprise, they called it a loeris. The name entered scientific Latin as Loris in 1765, courtesy of Buffon.

The slow loris (genus Nycticebus) moves at a maximum speed of about 2 kilometers per hour. Everything about it is deliberate. It grips branches with a vice-like hand that can maintain its hold for hours. It sleeps curled into a ball. It looks harmless. This is deceptive.

The slow loris is one of the few venomous mammals. It has a brachial gland on the inside of its elbow that produces a toxin. When threatened, the loris licks the gland and delivers a venomous bite that can cause anaphylactic shock in humans. The venom may also serve as a parasite deterrent. The animal the Dutch called a fool turns out to carry a weapon no one expected.

Slow lorises became viral internet sensations in the 2000s when videos of 'cute' lorises being tickled went viral. What viewers interpreted as the loris enjoying being tickled was actually a fear response—the animal was raising its arms to access its venom glands. The illegal pet trade in lorises exploded. Conservation groups spent years explaining that the cute videos depicted an animal in distress.