Eastern woolly lemur
| Eastern woolly lemur | ||||||||||||
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Eastern woolly lemur, picture by Alfred Grandidier |
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| Avahi laniger | ||||||||||||
| ( Gmelin , 1788) |
The eastern woolly lemur ( Avahi laniger ) is a primate species from the lemur group . The Peyrieras woolly lemur , the southern woolly lemur , the Ramanantsoavana woolly lemur , the Betsileo woolly lemur, and the Moore woolly lemur were recently separated from this species as separate species.
features
Eastern woolly lemurs reach a body length of 25 to 29 centimeters, the tail is 32 to 37 centimeters long and their weight is 0.9 to 1.6 kilograms. Your skin is like all woolly dense and woolly, it is gray-brown on the top and colored light gray on the bottom. The hind legs are significantly longer than the front legs, the inner thighs are whitish, the long, bushy tail is reddish-brown in color. The face is covered with short, brown hair, contrasting with the more densely hairy top of the head. There are small, white spots above the large, round eyes. The muzzle is black and short, the ears are small and partially hidden in the fur.
distribution and habitat
Like all lemurs, eastern woolly lemurs are found in Madagascar ; their habitat is the rainforests of the east coast. Due to the separation of some populations as separate species, the exact distribution area is not known. It extends at least from the region south of the Masoala Peninsula to the Mangoro River, whether there are populations of this species south of the Mangoro is unclear. They occur up to 1600 meters above sea level and reach their greatest population density in secondary forests .
Way of life
These primates are nocturnal tree dwellers. During the day they sleep hidden in the thick foliage, often leaning against a tree trunk. At night they go in search of food, while they move vertically climbing and jumping. They live in family groups of two to five animals made up of a monogamous couple and their offspring. Unlike many other nocturnal lemurs, the group members stay together while foraging for food. Family groups inhabit an area of 1 to 2 hectares, which they mark with loud calls to other groups.
The diet of these animals consists mainly of leaves, but to a small extent they also eat fruits and flowers. Like other leaf-eating mammals, they compensate for the low nutritional value of their food with long breaks. The nocturnal forays are also relatively short at 300 to 500 meters.
Mating takes place in April or May, and in September or October the female gives birth to a single young. This is carried by the mother during her forays and is not stored in a protected place. After about six months, the boy is weaned.
Danger
Due to their relatively large distribution area, eastern woolly lemurs are less threatened than other lemur species. In some areas they are affected by the destruction of their habitat, but overall the species is not an endangered species according to the IUCN .
literature
- R. Andriantompohavana, R. Lei, JR Zaonarivelo, SE Engberg, G. Nalanirina, SM McGuire, GD Shore, J. Andrianasolo, K. Herrington, RA Brenneman and EE Louis jr .: Molecular phylogeny and taxonomic revision of the woolly lemurs, Genus Avahi (Primates: Lemuriformes). In: Special Publications of the Museum of Texas Tech University 51 (2007), PDF .
- Nick Garbutt: Mammals of Madagascar. A Complete Guide. Yale University Press, New Haven CT 2007, ISBN 978-0-300-12550-4 .
- Thomas Geissmann : Comparative Primatology. Springer-Verlag, Berlin et al. 2002, ISBN 3-540-43645-6 .
- Russell A. Mittermeier , Jörg U. Ganzhorn, William R. Konstant, Kenneth Glander, Ian Tattersall , Colin P. Groves , Anthony B. Rylands, Andreas Hapke, Jonah Ratsimbazafy, Mireya I. Mayor, Edward Louis jr, Yves Rumpler, Christoph Schwitzer, Rodin Rasoloarison: Lemur Diversity in Madagascar. In: International Journal of Primatology. 29, 2008, ISSN 0164-0291 , pp. 1607-1656.
Web links
- Avahi laniger onthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . Retrieved April 22, 2009.