Potto

The potto (Perodicticus potto) is astrepsirrhine primate of the family Lorisidae. It is the only species in the genus Perodicticus. It is also known as Bosman's potto, afterWillem Bosman who described the species in 1704. In some English-speaking parts ofAfrica, it is called a "softly-softly"

There are four recognized subspecies:
Perodicticus potto potto
Perodicticus potto edwardsi
Perodicticus potto ibeanus
Perodicticus potto stockleyi

However, variation among pottos is significant, and there may, in fact, be more than one species. A few closely related species also have "potto" in their names: the two golden potto species (also known as angwantibos) and the false potto. Although it has been suggested that the differences that separate the false potto from the potto are a result of an anomalous specimen being used as the holotype which may have been a potto.

The Central and South American kinkajou(Potos flavus) and olingos (Bassaricyon sp.) are similar in appearance and behavior to African pottos, and were formerly classified with them (hence Potos). Olingos and kinkajous are now known to be members of the raccoon family. The potto inhabits the canopy of rain forests in tropical Africa, from Nigeria , Guinea toKenya and Uganda into the north of theDemocratic Republic of Congo. It isnocturnal and arboreal, sleeping during the day in the meshes and almost never descending from the trees

The potto grows to a length of 30 to 39 cm, with a short (3 to 10 cm) tail, and its weight varies from 600 to 1,600 grams (21 to 56 oz). The close, woolly fur is grey-brown. The index finger is vestigial, although it hasopposable thumbs with which it grasps branches firmly. Like other strepsirrhines the potto has a moist nose, toothcomb, and atoilet claw on the second toe of the hind legs. In the hands and feet, fingers three and four are connected to each other by a slight skin fold, while toes three through five are joined at their bases by a skin web that extends to near the proximal third of the toes.

The neck has four to six low tubercles or growths that cover its elongated vertebrae which have sharp points and nearly pierce the skin; these are used as defensive weapons. Both males and females have large scent glands under the tail (in females, the swelling created by the glands is known as a pseudo-scrotum), which they use to mark their territories and to reinforce pair bonds. The potto has a distinct odor that some observers have likened to curry.