The West African potto (Perodicticus potto), also known as Bosman's potto after Willem Bosman, who described it in 1704, is a nocturnal strepsirrhine primate of tropical West Africa and the type species of the genus Perodicticus. It was long treated as the only potto species, until a 2015 study split the genus into three. The Niger River marks the eastern limit of its range, which runs from Guinea west to Nigeria with an isolated population in eastern Senegal. It survives in disturbed forest near villages, but deforestation for industrial agriculture and hunting for bushmeat have driven declines, and the IUCN rates it Near Threatened.
Facts
Classification
Population Trend System (Realm) ThreatsAgriculture and Aquaculture 2 ThreatsBiological Resource Use 2 Relationship to People Living or Extinct Conservation Status Body Size Band Activity Pattern Comparison
CITES Appendix Connections
Child Taxon Of
Source West African potto (Wikipedia)
In Ecosystem
Source West African potto (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases
Found In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source West African potto (Wikipedia)DistributionQuote, Distribution
This species ranges from Guinea west to Nigeria, with an disjunct population in eastern Senegal.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source West African potto (Wikipedia)DistributionQuote, Distribution
This species ranges from Guinea west to Nigeria, with an disjunct population in eastern Senegal.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source West African potto (Wikipedia)DistributionQuote, Distribution
This species ranges from Guinea west to Nigeria, with an disjunct population in eastern Senegal.
Sources
1. Ecological Archives E095-178 (Wilman et al. 2014): EltonTraits 1.0 mammal diet data
Ecological Archives E095-178 (Wilman et al. 2014)MamFuncDat.txt, BodyMass-Value
536 Perodicticus potto Lorisidae 10 0 0 0 0 0 80 10 0 0 Ref_1 ABC Ar A 1 0 0 Ref_1 ABC 1099.99 Ref_117 1
MamFuncDat.txt, Diet columns
536 Perodicticus potto Lorisidae 10 0 0 0 0 0 80 10 0 0 Ref_1 ABC Ar A 1 0 0 Ref_1 ABC 1099.99 Ref_117 1
MamFuncDat.txt, Activity-Nocturnal
536 Perodicticus potto Lorisidae 10 0 0 0 0 0 80 10 0 0 Ref_1 ABC Ar A 1 0 0 Ref_1 ABC 1099.99 Ref_117 1
View the Source 2. West African potto (Wikipedia)
Conservation status
Due to this, it is classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List.
Habitat
Although this species is known to survive in disturbed forests near human habitation, population growth and subsequent habitat destruction in West Africa are of major risk to the species.
Conservation
Heavy deforestation for industrial agriculture is thought to have led to rapid population declines in the species.
Threats
Heavy deforestation for industrial agriculture is thought to have led to rapid population declines in the species.
Threats, threats
In addition, this species is more frequently hunted for bushmeat due to a decline in larger animals to hunt, which has in turn also caused pottos to become rarer.
Relationship to people
In addition, this species is more frequently hunted for bushmeat due to a decline in larger animals to hunt, which has in turn also caused pottos to become rarer.
Distribution
This species ranges from Guinea west to Nigeria, with an disjunct population in eastern Senegal.
In Group: Primate Species, Lead
The West African potto (Perodicticus potto) is a species of nocturnal strepsirrhine primate.
Child Taxon Of: Perodicticus, Taxonomy
It is the type species of the genus Perodicticus.
In Ecosystem: Forest, Taxonomy
It inhabits the rainforests of West Africa, from Guinea and Sierra Leone to Ghana
View the Source3. Animal Diversity Web: Perodicticus potto
Animal Diversity WebConservation status, CITESQuote, Conservation status, CITES
Appendix II
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