Potto

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

Taxonomy

There are four recognized subspecies:

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.

Potto (disambiguation)

Potto may refer to:

See also