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| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
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| COMMON
NAME: |
lemurs |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Mammalia |
| ORDER: |
Primates |
| FAMILY: |
Lemuridae |
| GENUS
SPECIES: |
Lemur
catta (ringtailed); Lemur fulvus (brown);
Lemur macaco (black); Lemur mongoz
(mongoose); Lemur coronatus (crowned); Lemur
rubriventer (red-bellied) |
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| DESCRIPTION: |
Active,
tree-dwelling primates with cat like nose and whiskers;
fur is soft and coloration varies from reddish brown
to gray and black. Also called prosimians, which
means "before apes." Lemurs maintain primitive
primate features such as a small brain case and
a prominent nose. |
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| SIZE: |
head
and body length: 12.5-70 cm (4-27.5 in.); tail length:
5-15.5 cm (2-6.1 in.) |
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| WEIGHT: |
0.5-3
kg (1.1-6.6 lb.) |
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| DIET: |
Predominantly
vegetation such as flowers, fruit, and leaves; occasionally
insects and small vertebrates |
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| GESTATION: |
2-5
months; 1-4 young per birth |
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| SEXUAL
MATURITY: |
14-15
months old |
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| LIFE
SPAN: |
18
years or older |
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| RANGE: |
Madagascar
(specific ranges vary according to species) |
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| HABITAT: |
Tropical
rain forest and dry thornbrush |
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| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
Unknown |
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| STATUS: |
IUCN |
Not
listed |
| CITES |
Protected |
| USFWS |
Endangered |
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| 1. |
Lemurs
rely on their sense of smell as a way of communicating
with other animals. They have special scent glands
on their wrists and bottoms that leave scent trails
on branches to mark their territories. |
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| 2. |
A
lemur's soft, broad fingers and toes have flat nails
that allow it to grip objects and groom other lemurs. |
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| 3. |
These
prosimians are quite social and the troops have
clearly defined male and female hierarchies. |
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| 4. |
A
female lemur carries her newborn in her mouth until
the baby is able to cling to the fur on mother's
stomach or back. |
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| 5. |
The
lemur's thick bushy tail serves as a visual signal
when it's threatened or as a balancing tool when
it leaps through the trees. |
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Lemurs
fill an important ecological role on the island
of Madagascar. These primates often feed on an
assortment of seasonal fruits and as they travel
throughout their environment, they disperse undigested
seeds in their manure. The seeds soon sprout to
replenish the vegetation that sustains Madagascar's
unique inhabitants. This is very important on
an island where over 80% of the original habitats
have been lost to logging and agriculture. The
Malagasy people struggle to save their country's
dwindling biodiversity. They maintain national
parks to protect wildlife, support the ecotourism
industry, and search for less damaging methods
of farming.
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|
|
| Burton,
J. (ed.). The Atlas of Endangered Species.
New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1991. |
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| Macdonald,
D. (ed.) The Emcyclopedia of Mammals. Vol.
1. London: Equinox Ltd., 1984. |
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|
Nowak,
R. Walker's Mammals of the World. Vol.
1. London: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1991.
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| Preston-Mafham,
Ken. Madagascar: A Natural History. Oxford:
Ken Preston-Mafham, 1991. |
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| Tattersall,
Ian. The Primates of Madagascar. New York:
Columbia University Press, 1982. |
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