In the southern provinces of China, among the steep limestone hills of Guangxi, nocturnal researchers stumbled upon an unexpected concentration of a rare primate. Recent night surveys revealed 98 individuals of the northern pygmy slow loris (Xanthonycticebus intermedius) — almost as many as had previously been counted in the entire country.
It was previously thought that slightly more than a hundred of these endangered animals lived in China, mainly in Yunnan Province. New data published in the journal Integrative Zoology by researchers from Guangxi Normal University nearly double the known population and extend the species' range to the north.
From June to October of 2025, the scientists walked almost 286 kilometres across six sites in Guangxi. Lorises were encountered at four of them, with the largest concentration — 37 individuals — recorded in Longzhou County. The encounter rate reached 1,08 individuals per kilometre in Ningming and 0,93 in Pingxiang.
Most of the animals found — 79 out of 98 — live outside protected areas. This indicates that a significant part of the population had remained unnoticed in hard-to-reach karst forests, where night surveys are rarely conducted.
The species is also found in northern Vietnam, but in China it was long underestimated because of its secretive nocturnal lifestyle and the difficult terrain. Experts such as Anna Nekaris of Anglia Ruskin University note that such discoveries inspire more thorough research into little-studied species.
The discovery highlights how important it is to conduct targeted night surveys in remote areas: many species may persist in fragmented forests longer than was assumed, if no one looks for them specifically.
Conducting regular night surveys in the karst zones of Guangxi and neighbouring regions will make it possible to assess the state of populations more accurately and to adjust conservation plans outside nature reserves.
