Brown mouse lemur
| Brown mouse lemur | ||||||||||||
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Brown mouse lemur ( Microcebus rufus ) |
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| Microcebus rufus | ||||||||||||
| ( É. Geoffroy , 1834) |
The brown mouse lemur ( Microcebus rufus ) is a species of primate from the genus of the mouse lemur ( Microcebus ).
features
Brown lemurs are one of the smaller lemurs. They reach a head body length of 7 to 9 centimeters, the tail becomes 10 to 16 centimeters long. The weight is around 40 to 45 grams. Their short, soft fur is colored reddish brown to brown on the upper side, with the head often being more reddish than the body. The underside is white or light gray. The ears are relatively small.
distribution and habitat
Brown lemurs are among the most widespread mouse lemurs, their range includes the entire east coast of Madagascar . Their habitat are rainforests and other forms of forest such as bamboo forests. Since some new species have recently been discovered on the east coast of Madagascar, the exact range is still unclear.
Way of life
Like all mouse lemurs, brown lemurs are nocturnal tree dwellers. During the day they sleep in tree hollows, leaf nests and sometimes abandoned bird nests. They mark their territories with urine and excrement, but the territories can overlap considerably.
In the rainy season they store fat in their tail, during the dry season they often fall into a torpor and significantly limit their activities. Your weight can be reduced by up to 30 percent.
food
These animals are omnivores. It feeds mainly on fruits, flowers, insects and resins. The food spectrum changes depending on availability. In the rainy season, fruits are mainly consumed, while resins and insects are consumed in the dry season.
Reproduction
The mating takes place in the months of September to November, after a gestation period of around 60 days, the female gives birth to one to three young between November and January. These are weaned at two months and sexually mature at around one year.
Danger
Brown lemurs are one of the most widespread Malagasy lemurs. In some areas they have become rare due to the destruction of their habitat, but overall the species is considered "not endangered" according to the IUCN .
The species is no longer kept in Europe, former German keepers are Berlin and Landau.
literature
- Nick Garbutt: Mammals of Madagascar. A Complete Guide. Yale University Press, New Haven 2007, ISBN 978-0-300-12550-4 .
supporting documents
Web links
- Microcebus rufus in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2009 Posted by: C. Andrainarivo u. a., 2008. Retrieved November 5, 2009.