Slow Loris

Among the zoo's residents, Slow Loris stands out mostly for how unhurried he is. A single satsuma can take him a full ten minutes to get through, and a scratch can occupy an hour. Visitors would hardly call him a highlight. Loris seems unbothered, because he keeps a private life that unfolds only after the keepers and the other animals have gone to sleep.

That hidden life mirrors the habits of his wild relatives. Slow lorises rest through the daytime in the branches of trees, curled into tight balls. When darkness falls they climb about the canopy in search of insects, eggs, small birds, fresh shoots and fruit, and they rarely descend to the forest floor.

The book is a picture book for young children, and its quiet contrast between a sluggish daytime animal and a busy nighttime one makes it a good starting point for talking about nocturnal creatures.