【神秘动物学】长尾懒猴(Tailed slow loris)

长尾懒猴(Tailed slow loris)是一种隐秘的懒猴(genus Nycticebus),这种生物来自于印度阿萨姆邦的鲁赛山。它长着一条长而浓密的尾巴,而所有已知的懒猴亚科动物都没有这种尾巴。
描述
除了那条长而浓密的尾巴以外,长尾懒猴与普通的懒猴是非常相似的。Nelson Annandale是这样描述长尾懒猴的:
The new Lemur is white in colour, with a narrow black mid-dorsal stripe extending from the occiput to the base of the tail, a dark triangular patch round each eye, and the anterior surface of the ears dark. The tail is apparently very thick and cylindrical, shorter than the head and body, and without definite markings. The limbs are comparatively short and stout. The head is large and round, the face flat, the muzzle small, the ears short and rounded; the eyes are perhaps a little smaller than those of Nycticebus tardigradus, but are separated by less than their own diameter. The fur is apparently close and woolly.
新物种是白色的,在它的背部中部有一条狭窄的黑色条纹,它从枕部延伸到尾部底部,它们的每只眼睛周围都长有一个黑色的三角形斑块,它们耳朵的前表面是黑色的。很明显,它们那圆柱形的尾巴是非常厚的,看起来比头部和身体短,而且没有明确的标记。四肢相对短而粗壮。头大而圆,脸平,口吻小,耳朵短而圆;它们的眼睛可能比懒猴的更小一点,但它们之间的距离小于它们自身的直径。它的皮毛很明显是毛茸茸的。
他还推测:这种动物的尾巴应该是可以卷握的,它的行为显然也与普通懒猴相似,因为照片中的第二只懒猴正以它们特有的姿势睡觉。
目击
未注明日期
在这张动物的照片出版之后,洛克上校写道,“鲁赛山的长尾懒猴”对他来说是很熟悉的。
1908
1889年的12月,在阿萨姆邦鲁赛山脉伦格堡附近的丛林中,1889-1990年的鲁赛探险队的人捕获了唯一已知的一只有尾懒猴标本。印度地质调查局的 T.D.La Touche拍摄了这两只动物的照片,但这两只动物很快就逃跑了:
They were habitually so slow in their movements that no precautions were taken to prevent their escape; but when once they had got out of their cage they vanished rapidly. They were fond of hanging upside down, as the upper animal of the photograph is doing. It will be noticed that in this position the tail does not hang down but is supported against the side of the box. Possibly it is prehensile, but this is not clear. The lower animal in the photograph is evidently asleep. It sits with its head tucked in under its chest, much asNycticebusdoes; the tail is also tucked in under the body.
他们惯于行动迟缓,我们没有采取任何预防措施来阻止他们逃跑;但是当它们一走出笼子的时候,就很快地消失了。它们喜欢倒挂着,就像照片上面的动物一样。我们可以注意到,在这个位置,尾巴不是垂下来的,而是被支撑在盒子的侧面。它应该可以抓握,但我们还不清楚这一点。照片中较低处的动物显然在睡觉。它坐在那里,头缩在胸部下面,就像间蜂猴一样;尾巴也缩在身体下面。
至于照片的尾巴是否存在,我们并不完全清楚(因为它是被包裹在身体上的,而不是垂下来的),但La Touche向纳尔逊·安南代尔博士保证,他在《伦敦动物学会学报》上发表了一篇关于这种动物的文章,这两只动物的身上都长有尾巴。
理论
卡尔·舒克(Karl Shuker)博士指出,如果它们不是印度懒猴(Nycticebus bengalensis)的畸形标本的话——那这就是他认为1889年捕获的动物最有可能代表一个未发现的物种的解释,他建议将其命名为Nycticebus caudatus。博士认为,如果它确实是一个新物种,它可能已经在20世纪初就已经灭绝了,因为自1909年1月以后就没有关于这种生物的任何报道了。

参考
↑ Shuker, Karl P. N. (1993) The Lost Ark: New and Rediscovered Animals of the 20th Century, HarperCollins, ISBN 0-00-219943-2
↑ Jump up to:2.02.1 Shuker, Karl P.N. ShukerNature: THE TAILED SLOW LORISES OF ASSAM'S LUSHAI HILLS - AN ENDURING PRIMATOLOGICAL MYSTERY karlshuker.blogspot.com (24 February 2013) [Accessed 8 December 2018] — Wayback Machine
↑ Jump up to:3.03.13.23.33.43.5 Annandale, Nelson "An Unknown Lemur From the Lushai Hills, Assam", Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London (1908)