Red Vari
| Red Vari | ||||||||||||
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Red Vari ( Varecia rubra ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Varecia rubra | ||||||||||||
| ( É. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire , 1812) |
The red ruffed lemur ( Varecia rubra ) is an on Madagascar living primate from the group of lemurs .
features
Red varis reach a head body length of 50 to 55 centimeters, to which a 60 to 65 centimeter long tail comes. Their weight is around 3.5 to 4 kilograms. Their fur is colored red to reddish brown on the back and legs, the belly, feet, tail and face are black. The nape of the neck is white, and some animals may have white or light yellow spots on the ankles, trunk or snout. Their head is characterized by the long, dog-like snout with the long tongue and the red tufts of ears.
distribution and habitat
Red Varis occur exclusively on the Masoala Peninsula in northeastern Madagascar. Their habitat are primary rainforests , where they occur up to 1000 meters above sea level.
Way of life
These primates are tree dwellers who mostly live in the upper layers of the trees. Their movements are rather slow, but they can also jump well. They are predominantly diurnal. Their social behavior is variable, they live in groups of 5 to 30 animals, these can be families or larger groups. The group members communicate by loud calls. These are used to establish contact with other group members, to warn against predators and also to point out other groups to their own territory.
The diet of the Red Varis consists mainly of fruits, but they also eat leaves. With the help of their long tongues, they can also lick nectar, and they play an important role in the pollination of some plants. When eating, they sometimes hang upside down on the branches and only hold on to their hind legs.
Mating takes place between May and July. After a gestation period of around 100 days, the female gives birth to offspring, usually twins or triplets, in September and October. At birth, the female builds a leaf nest in which the young spend their first weeks of life; at around 70 days they move around independently.
threat
Red Varis are an endangered species. The main danger is the destruction of their habitat, and there is also hunting for their meat. With the establishment of the Masoala National Park in 1997, at least part of its range was protected. The IUCN lists the species as "critically endangered" ( endangered ). The fragile and diverse ecosystem of the Masoala National Park with its rare plant families can be viewed in the Masoala Hall in the Zurich Zoo . In the Czech Republic , the Pilsen Zoo , among others, is dedicated to keeping and breeding the red Varis and other members of the real Makis family in a species-appropriate manner.
In Germany the species is kept in 16 zoos.
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 .
- Don E. Wilson, DeeAnn M. Reeder (Eds.): Mammal Species of the World. A taxonomic and geographic Reference. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2005, ISBN 0-8018-8221-4 .
supporting documents
Web links
- Varecia rubra onthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . Retrieved April 6, 2009.