Review and images by stemturtle; edited by bmathison1972
The potto, Perodicticus potto, may look like a little bear, but it is a strepsirrhine primate, commonly called a prosimian. The potto is nocturnal and arboreal, moving slowly through the canopy. Its distribution is the tropical rainforests of equatorial Africa, including the Congo region. The main diet is fruit, but also tree gum and insects. The word potto may derive from the native word pata for tailless monkey.
The species has some peculiar adaptations. Several elongated vertebrae in the neck can be used as defensive weapons when the head is bent down. The index finger is vestigial, allowing the hand to form a pincer. The maimed index finger is the origin of the genus name, Perodicticus. The second toe of the hind legs has a toilet claw, which is poorly represented. The tail is stumpy at less than 4 inches. The generally round appearance indicates thick woolly fur.
The set of 8 Lemurs and Prosimians by Play Visions released in 1999 can be seen on the Animal Toy Forum. These figures are nearly impossible to find these days!
Lorises live in Asia and pottos in Africa. There are several models of lorises available. The only other plastic figure of a potto is by Toy Concepts, which is flocked.
The color of the figure is tan, with white underneath. A black stripe along the spine forms a bar between the ears. There is a black mark above the nose, which is gray. The eyes are orange.
The length of the potto is about 1.75 inches (4.5cm), with live length of about 15 inches (38 cm), giving a scale of about 1:8.5. The name potto is marked on the belly along with the circled PV logo. The item number 1 between the front legs is rather hard to see.
We can be grateful to Play Visions for providing us this example of a potto and many other wonderful but neglected species.
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