Potto mothers also coat their babies with this secretion before parking them on a branch while they forage. The Slow Loris and Pygmy Slow Loris also secretes a strong smelling substance from well-developed glands under its forearms, which turns toxic when combined with its saliva. It spreads this secretion on its back as it rolls up into a ball. The toxin makes the loris a distasteful mouthful and may even cause ill health in the attacker. They don't sleep or hunt together.
Adults only meet when mating.
To avoid unpleasant encounters in the thick undergrowth, lorises and pottos mark their territory with scents. Lorises also have other scent glands. These scents not only mark territory, but also identify the individuals to each other, and inform males when a female is ready to breed. They also make calls so they can keep their distance from each other. A male's territory is usually larger and overlaps that of a few females.