Loris vs. Lemur — What's the Difference?

Loris is the common name for the strepsirrhine primates of the subfamily Lorinae (sometimes spelled Lorisinae) in the family Lorisidae. Loris is one genus in this subfamily and includes the slender lorises, while Nycticebus is the genus containing the slow lorises.

Lemurs ( (listen) LEE-mər) (from Latin lemures – ghosts or spirits) are mammals of the order Primates, divided into 8 families and consisting of 15 genera and around 100 existing species. They are native only to the island of Madagascar.

Any of various primates of the family Lorisidae of sub-Saharan Africa and tropical Asia, having a very short or absent tail, and including the pottos.

Any of various primates of the infraorder Lemuriformes of Madagascar and adjacent islands, having elongated lower incisors and nails on all digits except the second toe of the hind foot.

Any of several small, slow-moving nocturnal members of this family in the genera Loris and Nycticebus of tropical Asia, having dense woolly fur and large eyes.

(colloquial) Any strepsirrhine primate of the infraorder Lemuriformes, superfamily Lemuroidea, native only to Madagascar and some surrounding islands.

Any of several small, slow-moving primates, of the family Lorisidae, found in India and southeast Asia.

Any of the genus Lemur, represented by the ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta).

Any one of several species of small lemurs of the genus Stenops. They have long, slender limbs and large eyes, and are arboreal in their habits. The slender loris (Stenops gracilis), of Ceylon, in one of the best known species.

(obsolete) A loris (Lemur tardigradus, now Loris tardigradus), predating the 10th edition of Systema Naturæ.

One of a family (Lemuridæ) of nocturnal mammals allied to the monkeys, but of small size, and having a sharp and foxlike muzzle, and large eyes. They feed upon birds, insects, and fruit, and are mostly natives of Madagascar and the neighboring islands, one genus (Galago) occurring in Africa. The slow lemur or kukang of the East Indies is Nycticebus tardigradus. See Galago, Indris, and Colugo.

Large-eyed arboreal prosimian having foxy faces and long furry tails