Red maki
Red maki | ||||||||||||
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Red Maki ( Eulemur rufus ) |
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Systematics | ||||||||||||
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Scientific name | ||||||||||||
Eulemur rufus | ||||||||||||
( Audebert , 1799) |
The red maki ( Eulemur rufus ) is a primate species from the group of lemurs (Lemuriformes). In 2008 it was recognized by R. Mittermeier and others on the basis of morphological and genetic differences as a species distinct from the red-fronted tarsier .
The fur of these animals is colored red-brown to orange-brown on the upper side, the belly is light gray. The muzzle, the region around the yellowish eyes and the middle of the forehead are dark gray to black, over the eyes, on the cheeks and on the throat there are white or white-gray spots. The cheek hairs are bushier in males than in females.
Red Makis live in the west of the island of Madagascar , their range extends from the Betsiboka River in the north to the Tsiribihina in the south, to the south of which the range of the red-fronted lemur joins. Their habitat are dry deciduous forests.
Little is known about the way of life of this species, as almost all studies have been carried out in areas that have now been assigned to the red-fronted tarsier. Presumably they are tree dwellers and cathemeral , that is, they can be active both day and night. They live in small groups and feed mainly on fruits, as well as other parts of plants and small animals.
Little is known about the degree of endangerment of the red maki; the IUCN lists it under “too little data available” ( data deficient ). Probably the main threat is the destruction of their habitat by slash and burn and deforestation.
literature
- 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
- Eulemur rufus onthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . Retrieved April 2, 2009.