You can often see a colorful cartoon on TV, where there is an unusual animal with sad bulging eyes, lazily hanging on the branches of trees. In nature, there is a mammal that is classified as a wet-nosed primate and is called a loris.
Description of slow lorises
How often can you find a funny animal with bulging eyes and a cute face in a toy store?. This is a species of primate - the slow loris, which in its appearance and fur really resembles soft toys.
This is interesting! What's surprising is that this species is a venomous mammal that can cause serious damage to humans from its bites.
Appearance
Cute and slightly funny prosimians, the slow lorises, have a very original appearance:
- Body length. The size of this primate varies from 20 cm to 38.
- Head. It has a small head with barely noticeable ears, which are sometimes not visible at all. But the eyes of this animal have a pronounced round, even slightly bulging shape. Nature took care to emphasize this characteristic feature Lori primates, so around the eyes the fur is black or dark brown in the form of pronounced circles. But on the bridge of their nose you can distinguish a white stripe, thanks to which the animal looks like it is wearing a clown mask. Reference! It is curious that thanks to their funny face, these prosimians got their name “Loeris”, which translated from Dutch means “clown”.
- Tail. Has very small size about 1.5-2.5 cm.
- Weight. Depends on the representative of the species, the largest loris is the Bengal loris, around 1.5 kg, and the smallest representatives of this species are the Kalimantan lorises, weighing only about 200-300 grams.
- Wool. The hair of these primates has a grayish or yellowish tint, and it feels thick and soft to the touch.
- Fingers. The index fingers can be called vestigial organs, while the thumb is well developed and opposed to the rest. This allows the loris to grasp small objects well. The fingers have a kind of “cosmetic” nails, with the help of which primates take care of their thick fur.
Character and lifestyle
Basically, these animals are nocturnal. They have excellent vision and are well oriented in the dark, thanks to the reflective substance tapetum.
This is interesting! Bright light is harmful to the eyes of these animals, they can even go blind.
Due to this feature, they mostly sleep during the daytime, and after sunset they begin their active phase of the day. Although it is called active only conditionally. Thick lorises are distinguished by their regularity and slowness; they are absolutely indifferent to fast and sudden movements. When they move between the trees, they do it as carefully as possible, without catching a single leaf.
In case of danger, they freeze and can remain motionless long time . They like to rest curled up in a ball of fur on a tree, while holding a branch with their tenacious paws and hiding their heads in their hind legs. A fork in branches or a hollow is an ideal place for slow lorises to sleep.
If the loris was purchased as a pet, then do not forget that this is a wild mammal that is almost impossible to train to a tray. If we talk about the poisonous characteristics of the animal, the poison is secreted from the ulnar gland. They mainly coat their fur with this secretion to repel predators. What danger can they pose to humans? They have very sharp teeth and can bite, and since poison from the fur can get onto the fangs and claws, the bite can be accompanied by additional troubles in the form of numbness in the bitten area.
This is interesting! In practice, no terrible cases have been recorded in which a person was seriously injured by slow lorises!
How long do slow lorises live?
The average life expectancy is 15-20 years. It all depends on the conditions in which the animal is kept. If he has appropriate care and is provided with adequate nutrition, they can enjoy their existence for up to 25 years.
Range, habitats
You can meet slow lorises in tropical forests Bangladesh, on the outskirts of northern China, and also in the eastern Philippines. Different varieties of Loriids can inhabit the Malay Peninsula, Indonesian islands, forest areas of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. Their favorite place is the tops of trees, between the branches. Because of this habitat, it is very difficult to study the lifestyle of these mammals. Scientists were able to draw the main conclusions based on observations of primates in captivity.
Diet of slow lorises
What do these cute animals eat? Of course, plant foods in the form of vegetables, fruits, and flowering parts of plants are present in their diet. But they give preference to crickets, small birds and their eggs, and lizards. They do not disdain the resin of trees and their bark.
Important! But the most surprising thing about their diet is that they are one of the few that are able to feed on poisonous insects, caterpillars, etc.
If the loris is in captivity, it is often fed with dried fruits and baby cereals, to which butter and honey are added. Small primates readily eat this food. A special balanced dry food has also been created for them. In some cases, products such as overripe bananas are used, quail eggs, cherries and raspberries, papaya, melon and even fresh carrots and cucumber.
It is very important to provide slow lorises with their usual food in the form of caterpillars, insects, cockroaches, and crickets. Everything you need can be purchased at specialized pet stores. If you have already decided to purchase an exotic pet, make sure that all the necessary conditions are created for it, because, due to the stress and poor nutrition, loris in captivity can get sick and even die. Food must contain calcium and protein.
Reproduction and offspring
Not all representatives of this species can find a mate and start a family. They can choose a partner for a long time, remaining alone. Having formed a pair, both parents take care of the offspring.
Females mature by 9 months of life, and males only by 1.5 years. Pregnancy lasts 6 months and, as a rule, one or two cubs are born. They are born with open eyes and a body covered with a small layer of fur. During lactation, which lasts about 5 months, they are completely covered with enough wool to not freeze at night in the forests.
A baby loris can move from its mother to its father or another relative in the family, but it will return to its mother again and again to feed. They hold onto the fur on the belly of an adult loris with their tenacious paws.
Thick lorises (popularly known as lemur loris) are a genus of funny, big-eyed animals belonging to the order of wet-nosed primates, which are often mistakenly called lemurs. From a zoological point of view, this is incorrect, since they belong to the infaorder Lorisiformes, and not lemuriformes. In addition, lemurs, as is known, are a family of prosimians that live exclusively in Madagascar, and slow lorises are distributed quite far from them - in South and Southeast Asia. The main external feature that distinguishes lorises from lemurs is the absence of a long tail. They have it very small, reaching 1.5-2 cm. In English-speaking countries, representatives of this genus are called “slow”, which is not at all surprising, because they are famous for their indifference to sudden movements.
Slow lorises are one of five genera of wild animals in the Loriaceae family, consisting of eight species, three of which have been formed quite recently. The main species include the following species: Bengal loris, slow loris, Javan loris, Kalimantan loris and dwarf or small slow loris. In 2013, a study of some individuals that previously belonged to the Kalimantan lorises led to the identification of three more new species - N. borneanus, N. kayan and N. bancanus.
All representatives of the genus are included in the Red Book as vulnerable or endangered species. The export of slow lorises outside their native countries is prohibited by law and can result in fines and even imprisonment.
The habitat of rare animals extends from Bangladesh and Northeast India to the Philippines and from the Chinese province of Yunnan to the island of Java. They prefer tropical rainforests.
The size of slow lorises can vary depending on the species - body length ranges from 18 to 38 cm, and weight - from 300 grams to 1.5 kg. They are nocturnal animals, so nature has endowed them with large eyes with a reflective layer called tapetum, which allows them to see in the dark. The head is rounded, with a short muzzle. The eyes of all representatives of the genus are bordered by dark “glasses” and separated by a light stripe. Perhaps it is precisely because of this appearance, reminiscent of a clown mask, that scientists gave the animals the appropriate name - translated from Dutch “loeris” means “clown”. The fur of slow lorises is soft and thick, its color varies from grayish to yellow, and the hair on the abdomen is lighter. Another one distinguishing feature- a dark stripe running from the neck along the entire spine. The ears are small and round. The hind and forelimbs are well developed, almost equal in length. All toes of slow lorises have nails, with the exception of the second toes of the hind limbs, which are equipped with “cosmetic” claws intended for grooming.
Exotic representatives of the fauna world from Asia lead an arboreal lifestyle in their natural habitat, practically without descending to the ground. They move with the help of four limbs, moving from branch to branch or moving along them along their length. Animals are endowed with an unusually strong grip of their arms and legs, which does not weaken throughout the day. This feature is explained by the special structure of the blood vessels of the extremities, which ensures intensive blood circulation and metabolism in the muscles during the movement of the animal.
Slow lorises are nocturnal, spending most of their time (more than 90%) active period alone. Sometimes they can form pairs or small unstable groups. They spend the day curled up in a fork in the branches of a tree and holding them tightly with their paws, or they are located in hollows of trees and other suitable shelters that lie at a height. One slow loris can have more than 60 favorite resting spots. With the onset of darkness, the animals become animated and go hunting. They slowly travel along vines and tree branches, clinging to them with their fingers. To mark their territory, males regularly mark its boundaries, not forgetting to update these scent marks. While searching for food, they may accidentally encounter representatives of their own species, with whom their individual areas are adjacent. During such meetings, the animals touch each other, engage in mutual grooming, or communicate with each other through various poses. However, most often they receive information about a congener they have encountered through hearing and smell.
Compared to other mammals of similar size, slow lorises have an extremely slow metabolism, resulting in a very leisurely lifestyle. Their main feature is the smooth and somewhat slow nature of their movements, which helps them quietly sneak up on prey or hide from enemies.
Depending on the time of year, the animals' diet consists of varying proportions of fruits, plants, tree resin, bird eggs, nectar, insects, terrestrial mollusks and small vertebrates. Animals catch insects with one or both hands, often grabbing branches with their hind limbs for better balance. The main natural enemies of slow lorises include orangutans, pythons and changeable crested eagles.
Males reach sexual maturity at the age of 17-20 months, females at 18-24 months. Pregnancy lasts 180-190 days, after which the female gives birth to one or two cubs. Newborn lorises hold tightly to their mother’s fur for the first 14 days. Sometimes the female carefully removes the baby and places it in a hollow tree or a secluded fork in the branches, where it sits quietly and unnoticed while the mother forages for food. In case of discomfort, the cub emits a loud chirp, and the female hurries to him. It is believed that in the wild the male does not take part in raising the offspring, but in captivity they can take the cubs and carry them on themselves until they get hungry and want to return to the nurse. After 5-7 months, the baby is separated from the mother’s care, and at the age of 1-1.5 years he becomes old enough to live independently. In captivity, the life expectancy of representatives of the Loriidae family is 20-25 years.
Thick lorises are not the most talkative primates - they use sounds mainly to signal aggression, anxiety, and for communication between the cub and mother.
Despite the fact that international trade in slow lorises is prohibited and threatens to reduce their population, poachers continue to actively catch and export them for the purpose of selling them as pets. At the same time, the transportation of animals does not take place, to put it mildly, under the most favorable conditions and many of them die on the road. Mass deforestation of tropical forests, inhabited by these arboreal animals, also poses a serious danger. World Fund wildlife makes every effort to increase the population of slow lorises, promoting their reproduction in reserves and captivity.
It is probably the most exotic pet of all possible in domestic apartments. This extraordinary creature captivates with its whimsical appearance, because any lover of domestic animals will be happy to hold such a soft fluffy ball with large expressive eyes.
However, few people think that living creatures are different, and keeping such an exotic animal as a lemur requires serious preparation. Today we will analyze Loriids as a taxon, understand their habits, character, and also go through the varieties.
In fact, to be very precise, the loris is not quite a lemur. These animals belong to the suborder of wet-nosed primates, and the Loriidae family itself has for some time now been included in a separate infraorder of Lorisiformes, on an equal footing in the world taxonomy with Lemuriformes. Here is a clarification for lovers of scientific accuracy.
However, the lemur loris is so for a long time belonged to a related taxon, that we will no longer focus our attention on this detail, and will sometimes call this primate in the old fashioned way a lemur. That's what we agreed on.
Habitat
is a pronounced endemic of its habitat.
The native home of this animal is the tropical forests of Southeast Asia; they live mainly in the countries of the Indochina Peninsula, and some species can also live in India and on the island. Sri Lanka.
Most of the world population of these animals lives in Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia, and Cambodia.
Appearance
Well, there's a lot to talk about here. This ex-lemur is a real star of television screens, not to mention the attention that this funny animal attracts with its intricate appearance from a public unaccustomed to such exoticism.
This animal resembles a cross between a monkey, a sloth and a tarsier. Many people mistakenly believe that the loris is a prosimian. Other “experts” believe that lorises, as well as indris, tupai, tarsiers, arms and galagos are all representatives of the same family.
Yes, everyone except the tupaya is primate. However, they all have significant differences from each other, both external and behavioral. Although galagos are indeed extremely close to this animal in anatomy, as well as appearance. However, we digress.
So what does this little big-eyed primate look like? This is a small animal whose weight, as a rule, ranges from 250 g to 1.5 kg. depending on the variety. The colors of different types of these animals may also differ. But we will still give a generalized description.
This primate usually has a brownish-red coat color. It has very tenacious limbs adapted for climbing trees. The animal is helped in this by thin fingers, which are equipped with sharp claws. But there was no luck with the loris tail.
On the head of the animal there is a pair of small ears and a pair of very large eyes. The eyes of a loris are a separate matter. This one is the same business card looks like the spectacled pattern of a cobra or the luxurious tail of a peacock.
The eyes of this primate are really very large, round, like 2 saucers. Moreover, there is a dark edging around them, forming glasses. This gives the animal a pitiful appearance, perhaps stimulating the desire to have such a charmer at home as a pet among lovers of cute exotics.
Well, the description of this little primate would be incomplete if we forgot to mention its very sharp teeth. This ex-lemur has needle-sharp teeth, which he uses when asserting his rights to territory or a female.
Varieties
The Loriidae family is not as diverse as other taxonomic groups of the primate order.
Today, there are only 3 main types of Loriaceae, namely:
- Slender lorises.
- Slow lorises.
- Small slow lorises.
The slender loris is the smallest of all. The length of its body is 16-22 cm, its tail is 5 cm, and its weight is only 250-300 g. This animal is no larger than a squirrel in size, but it is the same primate as its larger relatives. However, it is not smaller in size than other Loriids, this is a fact.
The habitat of these big-eyed babies is the evergreen tropical forests of India, as well as about. Sri Lanka.
This species has several subspecies. Namely, there are gray and red slender loris. Gray subspecies has a characteristic ash color, while red differs from other varieties in its reddish-beige color.
The little slow loris, or slow loris, as it is also called, will be larger in size than the slender lorises. Their body length ranges from 18-25 cm, and their weight can reach 700 g.
This primate lives in the bamboo and tropical forests of Thailand, Vietnam and Laos. This slow loris leads the same nocturnal lifestyle as its other brothers. The small loris is beige in color over most of its body with a rufous rump. Otherwise, this dwarf loris differs little in general external features from other varieties.
The great slow loris is a real giant next to its fellow taxon. These big-eyed animals can reach 20-36 cm in length without a tail, and the weight of some individuals can be 1.2-1.5 kg.
The slow loris and, especially, the red slender loris can feel like dwarfs next to such a relative, being almost half the size of the largest representative of the family.
Such animals live in almost all countries of the Indochina Peninsula, as well as in Bangladesh, India and even in the western part of the Philippine Island.
If we do not say a bad word about other animals of this taxon regarding their behavior, then such a “monkey” can pose a danger to humans. When irritated, this primate uses its sharp teeth, which, moreover, are equipped with a kind of poison. Such is the poisonous loris, as it turns out.
This poisonous species has several subspecies. We will focus on just one. The Javan slow loris is notable because it is on the verge of extinction, including due to the capture of these animals for the purpose of selling them as pets.
Lifestyle and behavior
Now let's talk about the character traits of these animals, and also get acquainted with their way of life in the wild.
All species and subspecies of this family, be it the Javan loris or the red slender loris, are endemic to the evergreen tropical forests of South and East Asia, as we have already said.
They prefer to live at heights, among the treetops. These primates practically do not descend to the ground at all. These are exclusively arboreal creatures, well adapted to the habitat that nature has assigned them.
In some ways, these animals resemble sloths. They are also slow and leisurely, never in a hurry.
To move along branches and tree trunks, these animals are equipped with very strong limbs, as well as tenacious toes. The owners of these animals know very well that removing a loris that has grabbed onto something is the most difficult task.
They are also exclusively nocturnal and twilight creatures, whose eyes are perfectly adapted for night vision and are not at all designed for daytime vigil.
In the light of day, as soon as it dawns, these animals hide in the dense foliage among the branches and go to bed. An excellent night light for these high-altitude climbers are hollow trees or abandoned bird nests, where it is quite possible to find a sleeping animal curled up.
With the onset of dusk, the animal wakes up, washes itself, and behaves actively, as they say. Further, when night darkness reigns over the forest, the animal goes in search of food.
The diet of this primate includes plant foods with some inclusions of protein foods. Regardless of the species, be it a large Javan loris or a smaller red slender loris, this animal happily eats all kinds of fruits, but does not disdain to feast on bird eggs, and can catch and eat a small lizard or even a bird.
This lemur's diet also includes insects, including poisonous caterpillars and beetles, as well as the resin of some trees.
Lemur loris at home
A domesticated lemur is nonsense for a naturalist, but quite normal for a simple lover of glamorous exoticism. Let's say it right away and directly.
Despite the fact that primates different types, especially from the Loriaceae family, are often bought and kept at home; such a purchase cannot be called otherwise than inappropriate. Not to mention the moral component of the issue.
Of the hundreds of lovers, only a few have all the necessary knowledge of how to properly care for such a pet, and what the consequences of improper maintenance and handling of the toothy primate are for both the owner and the animal itself.
We have already mentioned more than once such a species as the Javan loris. This is not just one of the large varieties of its taxon, but a species officially classified by the world conservation community as an endangered animal species.
This endemic inhabitant of the island. Java has been subjected to barbaric human persecution for many years. After all, it was the Javan loris that for a long time was the same loris in a cage, imprisoned in captivity due to its attractive and funny appearance.
Which, together with the destruction of the habitat in its homeland, has now led to such a disastrous state of affairs for this species.
Nocturnal animals, loris, members of the Loriaceae family, live in the tropical forests of Central Africa, South and Southeast Asia. Their distinguishing feature is their huge forward-facing eyes. Their tails are short or absent altogether. Typically, lorises reach a length of 17 to 40 cm, and the weight varies depending on the species between 0.3 and 2 kg. Lorises are active primarily at night. They are characterized by slow and careful movements, and never jump. With their strong paws, Loriids cling to branches and even by force it is very difficult to unhook them from them. Most Loriids live alone or in small genus groups. Lorises can live up to 20 years.
Lories feed mainly on insects, bird eggs and small vertebrates. In addition, they can eat fruit or tree sap. The main threat to the existence of Loriids is the gradual destruction of their habitat, that is, tropical forests. The Loriaceae family is divided into four genera, which contain from eight to ten species, depending on your point of view. Some of the genera are: slender, fat, small, common, slow loris and potto.
Slender lorises are small graceful animals with a body weight of 85-348 grams and a head and body length of about 26 cm; there is no tail. The limbs are thin, slender, the forelimbs are only slightly shorter than the hind limbs. The eyes are round and very large, close together and directed forward, separated only by a narrow white stripe, and dark circles around the eyes, which further increases their size.
Slender lorises are native to the tropical rain forests of South India and Ceylon, but are also found in dry forest areas. The locals call them tevangu. During the day they sleep in tree hollows or in dense foliage, most often near forked branches. In this case, the body is curled up into a ball, the head and forelimbs are between the thighs, and the feet cling tightly to the branch, sometimes the arms wrap around the branch. In captivity, they can be seen sleeping in limbo, clinging to the crossbar of their cage.
As the sun sets, the slender lorises awaken, unfurl, stretch, clean and fluff their fur with a tooth comb and a toilet claw, then slowly set out in search of food. In the twilight, their eyes shine brightly like coals. Their slow movement is due to the grasping ability of the limbs, with the feet playing the main role. The hand is also a good grasping organ; in grasping branches of small diameter and in grasping food, the main force belongs to the large and longest fourth fingers.
About six sounds they make are described, including low grunts and chirps. Of their special habits, it is interesting to note that, like many other lemurs, moving slowly along the branches, they spray their entire surface with urine, wetting their limbs with it. This habit is explained as olfactory territory marking.
The fat loris is quite similar to the slender loris, although they differ in their larger size and dense build. Their food consists of insects, leaves, fruits, seeds, birds and their eggs, and lizards. In captivity they eat a lot of fruit and some meat. Thick lorises live alone or in pairs and small families. Several types of their voice are known - low grunt, high-pitched chirping, high clear whistle, especially in females during breeding. In captivity they are silent and sad.
The little loris differs little from the great slow loris. Mainly by size: its weight ranges from 400 to 800 g, while the great loris weighs around 1 kg. However, a lot can be said about him too interesting facts. On the Internet, on one of the forums dedicated to animals, we found the diary of one married couple from the Moscow region, who acquired a pair of small slow lorises. This essay is huge - more than a hundred pages! Being loving owners, the husband and wife learned all the intricacies of keeping, communicating and feeding slow lorises in their own practice, constantly improved the living and feeding conditions of their charges, and helped shed light on hitherto unknown facts about the life of these wonderful pets.
First, a male was taken into the house. Almost from the very first days he showed himself to be a nimble, intelligent, affectionate and sociable animal; He very quickly fell in love with human hands and loved to sit on his cupped palms, eating his favorite delicacy - grapes. Constantly observing his grace, habits and funny poses, these people found out why the loris is called “fat.” Firstly, of course, for their touching toy “plushness”. Secondly, the loris has a dense, spherical tummy, like that of an avid beer drinker - it is very pronounced and is especially visible at the moment when the loris sits almost like a person, leaning on its hind limbs.
After 10 days, a female was taken - a mate for the growing male. The boy could not accept the girl for a long time, but not at all because of his youth, inexperience or a sense of territoriality. He was really “jealous” of his newly made companion towards the owners! As soon as one of the spouses picked up the female and caressed her, the male immediately began to worry, scream and snap, but several days passed and peace reigned in the loris family.
To observe the mysterious life of their pets, the couple purchased a night vision camera, which was installed in the terrarium. The image was broadcast on a TV screen located in the bedroom, so people could see everything that was happening with their pets during their nightly activity, without disturbing the peace of the animals. In the dark, left alone, the loris shook off their phlegmatic drowsiness - they actively moved, communicated, and made various sounds.
It turned out that another name - slow (slow great and slow little loris) is completely unsuitable for these animals! They are playful, agile, graceful and can have a lot of fun romping and misbehaving. The female called the male, he answered her, they sniffed, played, and then, having run around and eaten their belly, they sweetly fell asleep in the house in an embrace. The camera also captured how funny the lorises eat: sitting, taking a piece of food with their “hands,” almost like small human cubs.
Lovers southern countries and exotic animals often have unusual pets in their homes. Unfortunately, this is not always safe. And if oh poisonous snakes While many people are aware of spiders, only a few know that cute lorises can lead to the death of their owners.
It seems incredible, but among our closest relatives, primates, there are species that are capable of producing potent poison. Moreover, these cutest creatures are really dangerous for humans: the poison that enters the body through a bite causes anaphylactic shock and death in just 30 minutes.
Kalimantan loris All venomous primates belong to the genus slow loris, family Loriidae. Currently, among the slow loris, zoologists distinguish five species: the small loris (Nycticebus pygmaeus), the Bengal loris (Nycticebus bengalensis), the Javan loris (Nycticebus javanicus), the slow loris (Nycticebus coucang) and the Kalimantan loris (Nycticebus menagensis). All of these species are poisonous, so take a close look at what they look like.
Little loris
These unusual animals, which are mainly nocturnal, live in the tropical forests of Southeast Asia. They can be found in India, southern China, Bangladesh and the islands of Indonesia. Appearance The slow loris is in many ways similar to the rest of the family: large round eyes, forward-facing thick and soft fur, small size, a very small tail or even its complete absence. Slow lorises are no larger in size than domestic cats, and their weight ranges from 300-1600 grams, depending on the species.
Slow loris Venom in slow lorises is secreted by the brachial gland, which is located on the inside of the front legs. If necessary, the animal licks it off with its tongue and uses it as self-defense. Thick lorises have rather sharp teeth, so they easily bite through the skin, and the poison from the mouth enters the victim’s body. After being bitten, the victim has an allergic reaction to the toxin. In the case of humans, this leads to anaphylactic shock and death in the absence of medical intervention. Unfortunately, the victim has no more than 30 minutes to save his life.
Bengal loris In their homeland, in Southeast Asia, slow lorises often become victims of local residents. They are caught to make various drugs. traditional medicine, and also for sale as pets.
Javan loris
There are also lovers of exotic animals who keep poisonous lorises at home. On the Internet you can even find information that slow lorises, although they have poisonous glands, supposedly do not use them when kept at home. It sounds optimistic, but this is nothing more than a cunning ploy by a seller who wants to sell a living product. In addition, cute slow lorises are often used for photo shoots at various exhibitions, as well as for entertaining tourists in tropical countries.
Exotic lovers should know that slow lorises offered on the exotic animal market are wild animals that are caught for sale, and not raised in special nurseries, as sellers sometimes claim. Therefore, we are not talking about any “domestication” and there is no need to harbor illusions that lorises will become safe in a couple of months. The tragic incident that happened to the owner of a slow loris in St. Petersburg is widely known: the male, for unknown reasons, became aggressive and bit the girl. The owner, fortunately, remained alive, but spent several days in intensive care.
