Slow lorises use venom as a weapon in intraspecific competition

Nekaris, K.A.I. and Campera, Marco and Nijman, Vincent and Birot, Hélène and Rode-Margono, Eva Johanna and Fry, Brian Grieg and Weldon, Ariana V. and Wirdateti, Wirdateti and Imron, Muhammad Ali (2020) Slow lorises use venom as a weapon in intraspecific competition. Current Biology, 30 (20). R1252-R1253. ISSN 09609822

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Abstract

Animals have evolved an array of spectacular weapons, including antlers, forceps, proboscises, stingers, tusks and horns [1]. Weapons can be present in males and females of species needing to defend critical limiting resources, including food (rhinoceros beetles, Trypoxylus) and territories (fang blennies, Meiacanthus) [1–3]. Chemicals, including sprays, ointments and injected venoms, are another defence system used by animals. As with morphological weapons, venom can serve multiple purposes, including to facilitate feeding, in predation, and in defence when attacked [4]. Although rare, several taxa use venom for agonistic intraspecific competition (e.g. ghost shrimp, Caprella spp.; sea anemones, Actinia equina; cone snails, Conidae; male platypus, Ornithorhynchus anatinus) [4–6]. Another group of venomous mammals are the nocturnal slow lorises (Nycticebus) [7]. Slow loris bites often result in dramatic diagnostic wounds characterised by necrotic gashes to the head and extremities. Although these bites are the major cause of death of lorises in captivity, the function of this aggressive behaviour has never been studied in the wild [7]. Here, through an 8-year study of wounding patterns, territorial behaviour, and agonistic encounters of a wild population of Javan slow lorises (Nycticebus javanicus), we provide strong evidence that venom is used differentially by both sexes to defend territories and mates. Video Abstract: [Figure presented] Nekaris et al. studied wounding patterns and aggressive behaviours in a venomous mammal — the Javan slow loris — in the wild. With high wounding rates in more than 20% of the population and extreme territoriality, loris venom is an unusual case of venom functioning as a weapon in intraspecific competition used for resource and mate defence. © 2020 Elsevier Inc.

Item Type: Article
Additional Information: cited By 22
Uncontrolled Keywords: aggression; animal; animal behavior; female; Lorisidae; male; metabolism; physiology
Subjects: S Agriculture > SD Forestry
S Agriculture > SF Animal culture
Divisions: Faculty of Forestry
Depositing User: Wiwit Kusuma Wijaya Wijaya
Date Deposited: 28 Oct 2024 08:12
Last Modified: 28 Oct 2024 08:12
URI: https://ir.lib.ugm.ac.id/id/eprint/7218

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