The Lake Superior Zoo’s two pygmy slow lorises are named Colby and Giorgio. You can find them in the nocturnal building of the zoo. It’s rare for primates to be nocturnal.

They’re the only venomous primate species in the world. Their venom is in their saliva and a gland in their armpits, which they can lick to make it more potent.

“It has never killed anyone,” explained Micayla Coble, Animal Care Specialist. “It’s actually more like the equivalent of a bee sting. Just a really bad bee sting straight into your bloodstream.”

She says the pygmy slow lorises are one of the coolest animals she’s ever worked with. As the training coordinator, she works with the animals on target behaviors and crate training.

Pygmy slow lorises are a critically endangered species. They come from Vietnam. The population is believed to have been impacted by deforestation and Agent Orange during the Vietnam War.

Colby and Giorgio are part of the Species Survival Plan, meaning the animals are bred in human care, hoping to one day introduce the animals back into the wild if necessary.