🐒 Scientists hadn't seen this rare little monkey for almost a century. And it was calmly strolling through people's yards!

Imagine: for almost a whole century, scientists have been trying to find out whether this rarest of primates still exists, poring over old scientific records, museum collections and historical accounts.

And meanwhile, the object of their search is calmly strolling through the neighbours' gardens and even occasionally travelling along power lines!

This is exactly the kind of amazing story that unfolded in Indonesia, on the island of Bangka, on 22 October.

Researchers have confirmed the existence of the Bangka slow loris — a small nocturnal primate with huge round eyes and an incredibly cute little face.

The last scientific records of these animals dated back to the 1930s. For almost a hundred years they had remained practically unnoticed by science!

And now it turns out that these rare little creatures do not necessarily hide away in impenetrable jungles.

They turn up in local residents' gardens, by the roadsides and even on power lines.

So while scientists were searching for them in the forests, the lorises may well have been sitting calmly on a fence, watching people rushing off somewhere yet again! 😁

An important role in the study was played by the Indonesian animal rescue centre Alobi. Its staff have helped more than 90 such primates, and the data they collected allowed specialists to better understand the distribution of this rare species.

Interestingly, slow lorises are rather unusual creatures.

They are predominantly nocturnal, move cautiously and slowly, and their huge eyes help them navigate in the dark.

But there is one detail that does not fit their charming appearance at all.

Slow lorises are among the few venomous primates on the planet!

They secrete a special substance from their brachial glands which, when mixed with saliva, can make their bite toxic.

So behind that cute exterior hides a very serious character.

This is perhaps that rare case when you want to say, "What an adorable little monkey!" — but you still shouldn't hug it. 😂

The most amazing thing is that the return of this species to scientific publications reminds us: even in the 21st century, there remain quite a few animals on Earth about which we know surprisingly little.

And sometimes a major scientific discovery does not require an expedition to the most remote corners of the planet.

All you need is to take a close look at who is strolling through the neighbour's garden!

And the main question now is for the lorises themselves:

"Where have you been all these hundred years?"

And they probably blink their huge eyes in surprise:

"What do you mean, where? We lived right here! It's you who disappeared somewhere!" 🐒😂