loris, name for slow-moving, nocturnal, arboreal primates of the family Lorisidae, found in India, Sri Lanka, and SE Asia. Lorises have round heads, large round eyes, and furry bodies. They have no tails, and their index fingers are vestigial. Lorises move hand over hand through the trees, gripping the branches firmly with hands and feet; they feed on insects and vegetable matter. Best known are the slender loris (Loris tardigradus), with an 8-in.-long (20-cm) body and very thin legs, and the slow loris (Nycticebus coucang), with a 16-in.-long (40-cm) body and short, thick legs. The slow loris has pale brownish fur with a darker dorsal stripe. African members of the loris family are the potto (Perodicticus potto), which has a stumpy tail, the angwantibo (Arctocebus calabarensis), characterized by its pointed face, and the bush babies, or galagos, a distinctive group of small, swift-moving animals. Lorises are classified in the phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata, class Mammalia, order Primates, family Lorisidae.

Loris-Melikov, Mikhail Tarielovich, 1826-88, Russian general and statesman, of Armenian descent. He was created count for his services in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78 and in 1880 was made minister of the interior by Alexander II. He promoted some liberal reforms, specifically in the educational system, and drafted a program to allow members of the zemstvos to play a minor advisory role in legislation. Alexander II approved this reform on the day he was assassinated (1884), but Alexander III voided the reform and dismissed its author. Loris-Melikov in his youth is portrayed in Leo Tolstoy's Hadjii Murad.

Any of three species of nocturnal, arboreal primates in the family Lorisidae. Lorises have soft gray or brown fur, huge eyes encircled by dark patches, and no tail. They move slowly and often hang by their feet, leaving their hands free to grasp branches or food. The slender loris (Loris tardigradus) of India and Sri Lanka is 8–10 in. (20–25 cm) long; it eats insects and small animals. The slow lorises (genus Nycticebus) of South Asia and the Malay Peninsula eat insects, small animals, fruit, and vegetation. Nycticebus pygmaeus is about 8 in. (20 cm) long; N. coucang is 10.5–15 in. (27–38 cm) long. Habitat degradation and hunting have seriously depleted loris populations.

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