Fat-tailed lemurs

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Fat-tailed lemurs
Brown fat-tailed lemur (Cheirogaleus major)

Brown fat- tailed lemur ( Cheirogaleus major )

Systematics
without rank: Euarchonta
Order : Primates (Primates)
Subordination : Wet-nose primates (Strepsirrhini)
Partial order : Lemurs (Lemuriformes)
Family : Cat lemurs (Cheirogaleidae)
Genre : Fat-tailed lemurs
Scientific name
Cheirogaleus
E. Geoffroy , 1812
Western fat- tailed lemur ( Cheirogaleus medius )

The fat- tailed lemurs ( Cheirogaleus ) are a genus of primate from the family of the cat lemur (Cheirogaleidae). The genus includes eleven species, eight of which have recently been recognized as independent and four to five have not yet been described.

description

Fat-tailed lemurs reach a head body length of 17 to 26 centimeters, the tail is 18 to 28 centimeters long. The weight is subject to strong seasonal fluctuations and varies between 200 and 600 grams. This makes them the largest representatives of the lemurs. Their fur is soft and silky, it is gray or reddish brown on the top and yellowish-white on the underside. It is characterized by the large eyes surrounded by dark circles and the small, thin ears. The tail has bushy hairs and is used to store fat, hence the name of the animals.

distribution and habitat

Like all lemurs , fat-tailed lemurs are only found on the island of Madagascar . They are relatively common and widespread, two of the seven species are known from the dry and thorn forests in the west and southwest of the island and five species from the rain forests in the east of the island. Since only a few locations are known of the newly described species, the exact distribution areas of the individual species are not known.

Lifestyle and diet

Fat-tailed lemurs are nocturnal. During the day they sleep in tree hollows or in the thicket of plants, at night they search for food. They usually stay in the trees and move on all fours. They live in family groups made up of a full-grown couple and their offspring, the partners share territories and sleeping places, but often go foraging separately. Their home ranges are relatively small with a diameter of around 200 meters.

A specialty of the fat-tailed lemur is their regular, obligatory hibernation during the dry months. In the period from November to March they put on weight, with the tail serving primarily as a fat store. In the dry season (April to October) they go into hibernation. To do this, they often retreat to hollow tree trunks or other shelters. During this time they live on the reserves in their tail, their weight can be reduced by almost half. The body temperature is also not kept at a stable level during this time, but adapts to the outside temperature. This hibernation is interrupted by typical short buildup phases (arousals), which are typical for all real hibernators.

Their diet consists primarily of fruits, but they also consume flowers, nectar and insects.

Reproduction

Mating occurs immediately after hibernation, in October or November. Despite the monogamous way of life, at least one species, the western fat-tailed lemur, is known that the female often reproduces with several males. After a gestation period of around 60 to 70 days, the female gives birth to two or three young. These are born hairy and well developed and are weaned at 45 days and sexually mature at two years of age. The life expectancy of the fat-tailed lemur can be 20 years in human care.

threat

The clearing of the forests is the main threat to the fat-tailed lemurs, but these animals are likely to be less threatened than other Malagasy primates. For many of the newly described species, however, more precise data are missing.

Systematics

The internal system of the fat-tailed lemur is changing and has not yet been completely clarified. For a long time only two species were differentiated, today around eleven species in four species groups are known (according to Mittermeier et al., 2008 and individual records):

In addition, four previously undescribed species are known. In August 2015, the discovery of a small population of fat-tailed lemurs on the island of Nosy Hara in northwest Madagascar, which may be another previously undescribed species, was announced. Like the western fat-tailed lemur, the animals are gray with a white belly side, but relatively small ( island dwarfism ).

literature

  • 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.
  • Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World. 6th edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 1999, ISBN 0-8018-5789-9 .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Thomas Geissmann : Comparative Primatology. Springer-Verlag, Berlin a. a. 2002, ISBN 3-540-43645-6 . Pages 51–52.
  2. ↑ Kathrin H. Dausmann, Julian Glos, Jörg U. Ganzhorn, Gerhard Heldmaier: Physiology: Hibernation in a tropical primate. In: Nature . Vol. 429, 6994, 2004, pp. 825-826.
  3. ^ Johanna Fietz: Monogamy as a rule rather than exception in nocturnal lemurs: the case of the fat-tailed dwarf lemur, Cheirogaleus medius. In: Ethology. 105, 3, 1999, ISSN  0179-1613 , pp. 259-272.
  4. ↑ a b c Runhua Lei, Adam T. McLain, Cynthia L. Frasier, Justin M. Taylor, Carolyn A. Bailey, Shannon E. Engberg, Azure L. Ginter, Stephen D. Nash, Richard Randriamampionona, Colin P. Groves, Russell A. Mittermeier & Edward E. Louis, Jr .: A New Species in the Genus Cheirogaleus (Cheirogaleidae). Primate Conservation, 2015 (29)
  5. ↑ Dana Thiele, Emilienne Razafimahatratra, Andreas Hapke: Discrepant partitioning of genetic diversity in mouse lemurs and dwarf lemurs - biological reality or taxonomic bias? Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, July 2013, doi: 10.1016 / j.ympev.2013.07.019 , ZDB -ID 1471402-4
  6. Jump up ↑ Adam T. McLain, Runhua Lei, Cynthia L. Frasier, Justin M. Taylor, Carolyn A. Bailey, Brittani AD Robertson, Stephen D. Nash, Jean Claude Randriamanana, Russell A. Mittermeier, Edward E. Louis Jr .: A New Cheirogaleus (Cheirogaleidae: Cheirogaleus crossleyi Group) Species from Southeastern Madagascar Primate Conservation 2017 (31): 27-36
  7. ↑ Cynthia L. Frasier, Runhua Lei, Adam T. McLain, Justin M. Taylor, Carolyn A. Bailey, Azure L. Ginter, Stephen D. Nash , Richard Randriamampionona, Colin P. Groves, Russell A. Mittermeier and Edward E. Louis Jr .: A New Species of Dwarf Lemur (Cheirogaleidae: Cheirogaleus medius Group) from the Ankarana and Andrafiamena-Andavakoera Massifs, Madagascar. Primate Conservation 2016 (30): 59-72
  8. ↑ Runhua Lei, Cynthia L. Frasier, Adam T. McLain, Justin M. Taylor, Carolyn A. Bailey, Shannon E. Engberg, Azure L. Ginter, Richard Randriamampionona, Colin P. Groves, Russell A. Mittermeier and Edward E. Louis Jr .: Revision of Madagascar's Dwarf Lemurs (Cheirogaleidae: Cheirogaleus ): Designation of Species, Candidate Species Status and Geographic Boundaries Based on Molecular and Morphological Data Primate Conservation 28: 9-35. 2014, doi: 10.1896 / 052.028.0110
  9. ^ Charlie J. Gardner and Louise D. Jasper. 2015. Discovery of An Island Population of Dwarf Lemurs (Cheirogaleidae: Cheirogaleus) on Nosy Hara, far northern Madagascar. Primates. 56 (4): 307-310. doi: 10.1007 / s10329-015-0479-x

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