- Where to see one
- 3 U.S. zoos in our directory hold potto, confirmed against each zoo's own animal list.
Conservation status
Not Evaluated
This species has not been assessed for the IUCN Red List, so it sits outside the threat scale entirely.
About the potto
The potto, here treated as the West African potto, is a nocturnal strepsirrhine primate of tropical West Africa. It lives in rainforest and can survive in disturbed forest near human settlement. Its range runs from Guinea west to Nigeria, with a separate population in eastern Senegal, and the Niger River marks its eastern limit. The species is named after Willem Bosman, who described it in 1704. A 2015 study split the former single potto species into three, leaving this name for the West African population. Pottos are hunted for bushmeat, and one population of chimpanzees in Senegal was seen taking sleeping pottos from their daytime hiding places.
Potto facts
- A 2015 study split the potto into three species, and only the West African population kept the name Perodicticus potto.
- It is also called Bosman's potto, after Willem Bosman, who described it in 1704.
- Chimpanzees at Mont Assirik, Senegal, were seen taking sleeping pottos by day.
- The mysterious false potto is now thought to have been a misidentified West African potto.
Where to see potto in the U.S.
3 zoos across 2 states
Find the closest one
Rank the 3 zoos holding potto by how far they are from you. Your location is used in your browser to sort this list and is never sent to us.
AZAThe Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Accredited members have passed an independent inspection of animal care and welfare, safety, conservation and education, repeated every five years. Many smaller facilities never apply, so “not accredited” isn't a verdict on its own. What accreditation means · How we check this
Built from each zoo's own published animal list.
