Potto Facts
Potto Facts
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| Interesting Potto Facts: |
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| Potto is a small animal that can reach length of 14 inches and weight of 1.8 to 3.5 pounds. |
| Potto's body is covered with dense and wooly fur. It can be grey, reddish or brown in color. Baby pottos are white or creamy at birth. |
| Potto has slender body, long legs, furry tail and rounded head with small ears. |
| Unlike ears, potto has large eyes that provide excellent night vision. This is important because potto is nocturnal animal (active during the night). Potto is resting during the day hidden in dense vegetation. |
| Potto spends its life in the trees (arboreal animal). Pincer-like hands are equipped with special type of blood vessels that allow strong grip that can last extended period of time. |
| Potto has opposable thumb which facilitates grasping of the branches. Highly moveable joints and wrists also represent adaptation to the arboreal life. |
| All fingers except second on each foot have nails. Second finger is very short and "nail-free" because it is used for grooming. Teeth in the lower jaw look like a comb. Together with second finger, they ensure fast and efficient removal of the dirt from the fur. |
| Potto is an omnivore (animal that eats both plants and animals). Its diet consists of fruit, nectar, tree sap, insect larvae, snail and small vertebrates. Since majority of diet is based on fruit, potto is also known as frugivorous animal. |
| Main predators of potto are birds of prey, certain populations of chimpanzees and humans. |
| Potto is equipped with unusual neck vertebrae that are used against predators. These vertebrae have sharp spines on their ends that nearly pierce the skin. When faced with danger, potto hides its head and exposes its neck with spines that can harm its enemy. |
| Potto is a solitary creature. Male's territory usually overlaps with territories of two nearby females. |
| Potto can mate throughout the whole year. It produces offspring once per year. |
| Pregnancy in females lasts around 200 days and ends with one baby. Little potto depends on the mother's milk for the first 4 to 5 months. During that time, baby will be attached to its mother's belly or remain hidden in dense vegetation. |
| Potto reaches sexual maturity at the age between 9 and 18 months. |
| Potto can survive 11 years in the wild and up to 26 years in captivity. |
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