Ring-tailed lemur
| Ring-tailed lemur | ||||||||||||
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Ring-tailed lemur ( Lemur catta ) |
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| Linnaeus , 1758 | ||||||||||||
| Scientific name of the species | ||||||||||||
| Lemur catta | ||||||||||||
| Linnaeus, 1758 |
The Katta ( lemur catta ) is a primate species from the group of lemurs (Lemuriformes). He lives in dry regions in southwestern Madagascar . At 2.2 to 3.5 kilograms, it is one of the medium-sized lemurs and is unmistakable thanks to its ringed tail. Although he is one of the best known representatives of this group of primates, he shows some behaviors that are atypical for this group. He is mainly diurnal and spends a lot of time on the ground. It lives in groups of an average of 13 to 15 animals, which are led by a dominant female. The ring-tailed lemur is omnivorous , but it mainly feeds on fruits. Habitat destruction and hunting are the main threats to this species on his home island.
Features of a ring-tailed lemur
Ring-tailed lemurs reach a head body length of 39 to 46 centimeters, the tail is with 56 to 62 centimeters significantly longer than the body. The weight varies between 2.2 and 3.5 kilograms. A sex dimorphism is not very pronounced, the sexes are colored and almost the same size. The back and flanks are gray-brown, the belly is whitish, and the limbs are light gray. The long tail is curled with 13 to 15 white and black stripes each; he plays an important role in communication. The hand and foot bales are oblong and leathery and thus adapted to climbing in rocky terrain. In contrast to closely related, more tree-dwelling species, the first toe is significantly smaller. The fingers and toes end in nails , only the second toe has a cleaning claw , as with all wet-nosed monkeys .
The neck and the top of the head are colored dark gray and thus contrast strongly with the face and throat, which are white. The eyes are light brown or orange and, like all wet-nosed monkeys, have a tapetum lucidum (a light-reflecting layer). They are surrounded by dark brown or black, almost triangular fields, the tips of which touch the dark skull cap. The muzzle is elongated and dark in color, the ears are white, erect and pointed.
The tooth formula is I 2- C 1- P 3- M 3, so ring-tailed lemurs have a total of 36 teeth. The upper incisors are small and pin-shaped, the upper canines are slightly elongated and separated from the molars behind by a gap . As in most wet-nosed monkeys, the lower incisors and canines form a tooth crest protruding forward . The molars each have three cusps.
Both sexes have scent glands on their wrists. In the males this region is hairless, measures up to two centimeters in diameter and is provided with a horny spike, while in the females it is significantly smaller and hairy. The males have another gland on their chest, just above the collarbone near the shoulder; in the females this gland is very small or absent. In contrast, perianal glands are present in both sexes . The females have a pair of breast teats . The penis of the males has a penis bone , the clitoris of the females is also supported by a bony structure, the os clitoridis . It reaches 43% of the length and 24% of the height of the penis bone, which is why female lemurs as "moderate masculinizes" (moderately masculinized) are referred to. The uterus is, as with all wet-nosed monkeys, zweihörnig.
distribution and habitat
Ring-tailed lemurs are endemic to Madagascar , where they inhabit the southwest and southern parts. In the west, the limit of their distribution area is approximately at the level of the Mangoky River , in the southeast around the city of Tolagnaro . In the interior of the country, their habitat extends in the northeast to the city of Ambalvao, in the Andringitra mountains there is an isolated population that occurs up to an altitude of 2,600 meters. The range of the ring-tailed lemurs protrudes further into the mountainous and largely unforested interior of Madagascar than any other lemur species, but their distribution is fragmentary everywhere. In the last 50 years the range of this primate species has not changed much, it could possibly be even larger than previously known.
These primates inhabit the greatest diversity of habitats of all lemurs. They are preferred in thorn , dry deciduous and gallery forests as well as in bush-lined savannas , in the mountainous region they also live in rocky terrain above the tree line. They occur in the climatically most unusual regions of Madagascar, both in the arid regions of southwest Madagascar, where sometimes only 30 to 50 millimeters of annual precipitation falls, and in the mountains, where the temperature fluctuates between −7 and +24 ° C.
Way of life
Activity times and movement
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In contrast to most other lemurs, ring-tailed lemurs are predominantly diurnal. At night they sleep on trees, the population in the mountains also in caves. The animals often snuggle up to each other. Between 5:30 and 8:30 a.m. they become active, descend to the ground and initially sunbathe frequently, especially in cooler weather. They adopt a typical, conspicuous sitting posture: with upright torso, legs apart and arms supported on their thighs, they expose their underside to sunlight. This is followed by an active phase of locomotion and eating. At lunchtime, the animals stop for a rest, which can take up to four hours in the heat. After another phase of activity in the afternoon, they go to their sleeping places between around 6:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. They are also sometimes active at night and eat or groom their fur; in doing so, however, they do not change the sleeping tree.
Ring-tailed lemurs spend most of the time on the ground with an average of 30% of all recent lemurs - only extinct giant lemurs such as Archaeoindris were probably permanently living on the ground . On the ground, they move on all fours, keeping their tails high; the top part is bent backwards, making it roughly shaped like an 'S'. They also climb in the trees with all four limbs and can cover distances by jumping. The long tail helps them balance.
Social behavior and territorial behavior
Ring-tailed lemurs live in groups of an average of 13 to 15 animals, but the group size can vary from six to sometimes over 30 animals. The groups are made up of roughly the same number of males and females as well as the young animals. The groups show a clear dominance of females and are organized matrilinearly - since the females almost always remain in their birth group, a family of closely related females forms the core of a group. It is led by a central female who determines the direction of movement and on which the social interactions are focused. The other females also establish a ranking. The ranks are not hereditary and the mothers do not support their daughters in struggles for a better place in the hierarchy. There can be several female family associations in larger groups; in this case the females interact significantly more with their relatives through physical proximity or mutual grooming, while they encounter unrelated females more aggressively.
Adult females are almost always dominant over the males in the group; they enforce this hierarchy with chases, blows and bites. In contrast to the females, the males have to leave their birth group. They also establish a hierarchy; the most important method is the "stink fights". They soak their curled tails with the secretion of their arm glands and then wave in the direction of their competitors. Usually there are one to three higher and several subordinate males. The rank of males also depends on age; the higher placed males are mostly between six and nine years old, so in the "prime of their life". The subordinate males are mostly younger or older animals or those that have just joined the group. The rank of the males is also visible in the marching order: the highest ranking females, the young and the higher ranked males are at the top, while the subordinate males have to follow. When it comes to access to food resources, the hierarchy also comes into play: the lower-ranking males are literally marginalized. Higher-ranking males therefore enjoy the advantages of having better access to food sources, of being attacked less often by predators and of interacting more with the females, which is especially important during the mating season.
Young males leave their birth group when they are three to five years old. They often get together in twos or threes and try to join a group together. It takes months for an animal to become part of a group; during this time it is often chased away by both males and females. Young males change groups on average every 1.4 years, males in their prime only change groups every 3.5 years on average. All such group changes occur in the months of December to May, most of them in the breeding season in April.
When a group gets too big, it splits up; this happens with a size of 15 to 25 animals or 8 to 10 females. The members of the dominant female family drive away the remaining females, who then build their own group or, in rare cases, join another group. Such newly formed groups initially have few members, which is a disadvantage as they are often driven away from food sources by larger groups.
Ring-tailed lemurs are not strictly territorial, but have preferred roaming areas. Their size varies according to habitat and season and usually covers between 6 and 30 hectares. In wetter regions and in the rainy season, the grazing areas are smaller due to the better food supply, and larger in dry habitats and during the dry season. A group covers around 1000 meters a day, using the same part of their home area for three or four days before switching to another part.
The preferred roaming areas are marked with glandular secretions; the females use their perianal glands , the males scratch trees and branches with their prickly wrist glands , leaving behind their scent traces. The territories of several groups can overlap over a large area. When two groups meet, the females take over the defense. At first they stare at each other intensely (see below. Threatening stare ), but there can also be mutual jumping, hits or bites. Sometimes these meetings escalate and result in serious injury or the death of an animal. After an encounter, both groups usually withdraw to the middle of their home area.
communication
As with all wet-nosed monkeys, olfactory communication plays an important role with the ring-tailed lemurs, for example by making other groups aware of their own range. Since they are diurnal, unlike many other lemurs, they communicate a lot with postures and gestures. Often a fixed, threatening stare at another animal can be seen, which either leads to the other animal averting its gaze and thus admitting its subordination, or returning the gaze and thus provoking an argument. A ring-tailed lemur can also express its submission by pulling back its lips. Demonstrative hopping around an animal on your hind legs is an aggressive gesture. As mentioned earlier, the curled tail is also used for visual communication.
The phonetic forms of communication of the ring-tailed lemurs have been well researched. In a study, 28 different vocalizations were recognized, six of which are only emitted by young animals. Several sounds are used to establish contact: a with little excitement, a with medium excitement and a in the case of strong excitement or fear, for example when an animal is separated from its group. are only expelled by adult males; they inform other groups of their own presence and can be heard up to 1000 meters away. express well-being, for example when grooming each other, and should encourage the group to move around and strengthen cohesion.
A child animal pushes against a highly placed a from, a higher-ranking animal points with a threatening lower-ranking animals for their own status, intense threats with a expressed and stink fights of the males from a accompanied. Is there a , a specifically pointing out birds of prey and a , which is expelled in predatory mammals. Cautious curiosity becomes with expressed.
Young animals know several contact sounds, besides also who express great discomfort and , which indicate the immediate need for maternal closeness.
food
Ring-tailed lemurs mainly feed on fruits , but the composition of the diet varies greatly depending on the habitat and the season. They also consume other parts of the plant such as leaves , flowers , buds and bark ; they rarely hunt small animals such as spiders , insects such as cicadas and grasshoppers, and small vertebrates such as chameleons and birds .
In the rainy season, which lasts roughly from October to April, fruits and other plant parts are abundantly available; the supply of fruits is highest from October to November and from March to April. Foraging is more difficult in the dry season, especially the driest months of June and July pose challenges, in which the animals also have to fall back on ripe, dry leaves. One of the most important sources of food is the tamarind tree , which in some places accounts for up to 50% of the diet of the ring-tailed lemurs.
In arid regions, they can meet their water needs with succulent plants such as aloes or the introduced opuntia, as well as with dew that collects in crevices.
Reproduction and development
The breeding season of the ring-tailed lemurs is between mid-April and mid-May. Before that, the fights between the males for a higher place in the hierarchy and thus for better access to females capable of mating become more intense. Stink fights are often not enough, there are often aggressive clashes. The males try to jump on other males and inflict wounds with their upper canine teeth.
In the mating season, the higher-ranking males approach the females. They often hang out next to them and also sleep close to each other. The sex cycle of the females is synchronized and very short, 6 to 24 hours long. When the female is ready to mate, she presents her rear end to the male, lifts her tail and looks back over his shoulder. After mating, the female reproduces with other males in a descending hierarchy; sometimes it also looks for mating partners from foreign groups, which the males in their own group try to prevent.
The gestation period is around 135 days and falls in the dry season. The females must therefore try to eat their fat reserves in the preceding rainy season. The births fall in September or early October. Single births predominate, but twins are relatively common, but less often in the wild than in human captivity. Young animals weigh around 70 grams at birth. They spend the first two weeks of life clinging to the mother's stomach, later they ride on her back. Mainly the mother takes care of the young, but older siblings or other females can also carry it and occupy themselves with it. The young animals begin to play with children of other mothers of the same age when they are around six weeks old, and when they are eight weeks old they start to eat solid food. At around four months, the mother no longer lets the young ride on her, at five months it is finally weaned.
Around 75 to 80% of all adult females give birth once a year.This fertility, which is relatively high for primates, is an adaptation to the climatically difficult habitats of the ring-tailed lemurs. Around 50% of all young animals die in the first year, in very dry years up to 80 %, and only around 30% of all animals reach adulthood.
Females in human care can reproduce at two years of age, while males and females in the wild become sexually mature at two and a half to four years of age. Due to the hierarchy in the groups, it usually takes a few more years before males actually mate for the first time.
In the wild, females rarely live to be older than 16 years, the highest known age being 20 years. The life expectancy of the males is more difficult to determine due to the group changes, but it can be over 15 years. In human care, ring-tailed lemurs grow older; animals over 30 years old are known here.
Predators and food competitors
The predators of the ring-tailed lemurs include the fossa and, more rarely, introduced predators such as the Indian civet cat and the house cat . Young animals sometimes fall prey to birds of prey such as the Madagascar cave harrier and the Madagascar buzzard . Snakes are also likely to be among their predators. There is also an observation that a red-fronted tarsier ate young ring- tailed lemurs.
A number of lemur species live sympatric with the ring- tailed lemur in its range, including the larval sifaka and the aforementioned red- fronted lemur . While the larval sifaka relies more on leaves in the dry season and is not a direct food competitor, the diet of the ring-tailed lemur overlaps significantly with that of the red-fronted lemur, so that disputes can arise in times of lack of food. There are also other lemurs, but nothing is known about their food competition; probably because these species are mostly nocturnal.
Ring-tailed lemurs and humans
Naming and cultural references
The Malagasy names for this animal are Hiva or Maki . The scientific generic name Lemur was given to them by Carl von Linné in 1758 and alludes to the large eyes, loud screams and nocturnal way of life of many lemurs , in which he saw similarities with the lemures , Roman spirits of the dead. The German name, like the specific epithet catta, is derived from the cat-like calls of these animals. The sometimes used term Katzenmaki is more often used in German for another group of lemurs (see Katzenmakis ).
The ring-tailed lemur is the best-known species of lemur; thanks to its curly tail it has become unmistakable and a symbol of its home island. His role in the animated film Madagascar and in the comedy Wilde Kreaturen is well known .
In Germany the species is kept in over 50 zoos.
threat
Loss of habitat and hunting are the main threats to the ring-tailed lemur. The slash and burn operations carried out in its habitat to convert it into pastures and tree clearing for charcoal production are increasingly restricting its habitat. In addition, the animals are hunted in some places, either for their meat or because they are made into pets . The IUCN estimates that the total population is (three generations) declined over the last 24 years by 20 to 25%, it lists the species as "critically endangered" ( endangered ).
Worldwide over 2400 individuals are kept in zoos (as of March 2009).
Systematics
The ring- tailed lemur is classified in the family of common Makis (Lemuridae), today it is the only representative of the genus Lemur . Although the ring-tailed lemurs show great similarities in the structure of the skeleton with the great Makis (genus Eulemur ), which was only established as an independent genus by Lemur in 1988 , molecular studies indicate that the sister group of the ring-tailed lemur is the genus of the bamboo lemur ( Hapalemur ) .
No subspecies are currently recognized. The population of the Andringitra highlands differs from the rest, these animals have a darker, denser fur and less ringlets on the tail, it could be a subspecies not yet described.
literature
- Nick Garbutt: Mammals of Madagascar. A Complete Guide. Yale University Press, New Haven CT et al. a. 2007, ISBN 978-0-300-12550-4 .
- Thomas Geissmann : Comparative Primatology. Springer-Verlag, Berlin a. a. 2002, ISBN 3-540-43645-6 .
- 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
- ^ Numbers according to: Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore 1999, ISBN 0-8018-5789-9 , p. 513.
- ↑ Christine M. Drea, Anne Weil: External genital morphology of the ring-tailed lemur ( Lemur catta ): Females are naturally "masculinized". In: Journal of Morphology . 269, No. 4, 2007, pp. 451-463.
- ↑ RW Sussman, G. M. Green, I. Porton, O. L. Andrianasolondraibe, J. Ratsirarson: A survey of the habitat of Lemur catta in southwestern and southern Madagascar. In: Primate Conservation. 19, 2003, pp. 32-57.
- ↑ Nick Garbutt: Mammals of Madagascar. A Complete Guide. Yale University Press, New Haven 2007, ISBN 978-0-300-12550-4 , p. 146.
- ^ KA Cawthon Lang: Primate Factsheets: Ring-tailed lemur ("Lemur catta"): Taxonomy, Morphology & Ecology.
- ↑ Thomas Geissmann: Comparative Primatology. Springer, Berlin 2003, ISBN 3-540-43645-6 , p. 61.
- ↑ Thomas Geissmann: Comparative Primatology. Springer, Berlin 2003, ISBN 3-540-43645-6 , p. 62.
- ↑ a b R. W. Sussman: Male life history and intergroup mobility among ringtailed lemurs ( Lemur catta ). In: International Journal of Primatology. 13, No. 4, 1992, pp. 395-413.
- ↑ A. Jolly, A. Dobson, H. M. Rasamimanana, J. Walker, S. O'Connor, M. Solberg, V. Perel: Demography of Lemur catta at Berenty Reserve, Madagascar: effects of troop size, habitat and rainfall. In: International Journal of Primatology. 23, No. 2, 2002, pp. 327-355.
- ^ Joseph M. Macedonia: The vocal repertoire of the ringtailed lemur ( Lemur catta ). In: Folia Primatologica. 61, No. 4, 1993, pp. 186-217.
- ↑ L. Gould, RW Sussman, ML Sauther: Natural disasters and primate populations: the effects of a 2-year drought on a naturally occurring population of ring-tailed lemurs ( Lemur catta ) in southwestern Madagascar. In: International Journal of Primatology. 20, No. 1, 1999, pp. 69-85.
- ↑ Nick Garbutt: Mammals of Madagascar. A Complete Guide. Yale University Press, New Haven 2007, ISBN 978-0-300-12550-4 , p. 148.
- ↑ Angela Pitts: Predation by Eulemur fulvus rufus on an Infant Lemur catta at Berenty, Madagascar. In: Folia Primatologica. 65, No. 3, 1995, pp. 169-171.
- ↑ Duke University Lemur Center ( Memento of the original from April 8, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed March 24, 2009
- ↑ a b R. Mittermeier, J. Ganzhorn, W. Konstant, K. Glander, I. Tattersall, C. Groves, A. Rylands, A. Hapke, J. Ratsimbazafy, M. Mayor, E. Louis jr., Y Rumpler, C. Schwitzer, R. Rasoloarison: Lemur Diversity in Madagascar. In: International Journal of Primatology. 29, 2008, pp. 1607-1656.
- ↑ Nick Garbutt: Mammals of Madagascar. A Complete Guide. Yale University Press, New Haven 2007, ISBN 978-0-300-12550-4 , p. 146: "[…] is the flagship species, an icon synonymous with its island home."
- ↑ Zoo animal list, current holdings , accessed on September 25, 2017.
- ↑ Lemur catta in the Red List of Threatened Species of the IUCN 2014. Posted by: C. Andrainarivo u. a., 2008. Retrieved December 21, 2014.
- ^ ISIS International Species Information System , accessed March 24, 2009
- ↑ Thomas Geissmann: Comparative Primatology. Springer, Berlin 2003, ISBN 3-540-43645-6 , p. 49.
