Lemurs in  Madagascar – Trekking Lemurs in Africa: primate Safaris

Lemurs are mammals of the order Primates and are divided into 8 families and consisting of 15 genera and around 100 existing species. They are native only to the island of Madagascar. Most existing lemurs are small, have a pointed snout, large eyes, and a long tail. They chiefly live in trees and are mostly active at night.

Lemurs share a resemblance with other primates but evolved independently from monkeys and apes. Due to Madagascar’s highly seasonal climate, lemur evolution has produced a level of species diversity rivaling that of any other primate group, all Madagascar safaris encompass the visit to both the lemurs & Wildlife Animals in various National parks.

Some of these include;

WHITE-FRONTED LEMUR

The white-fronted lemur only lives in the northeast of Madagascar around the Masoala peninsula. They inhabit montane rainforests as well as some lowland rainforest.

The white-fronted lemur has a body of about 40cm long and with an extra 50cm long tail. It weighs about 2-2.5kg. These lemurs have dark brown fur on the tail and back with a lighter fur on the underside. Females have a face that is dark grey and the males face is black with a ring of white fuzzy fur which gives the species its name.

The white-fronted lemur lives for 20 to 25 years in the wild. In captivity, some have reached 36 years of age.

These lemurs are omnivores. Their diet usually consists of fruit, leaves, flowers, bark, insects, and sap. During the dry season, females have been noted to feed on more flowers.

They live in groups ranging from 5-7 individuals. The breeding season for this species is June. They generally have a single offspring and can have one every year. The baby is born between September and October. After birth, they spend the first three weeks of their life clinging to the belly of their mother. After 3 weeks they will progress around on to the back of the mother. From this spot, they begin to explore taking their first steps and beginning to taste whatever food the others in the group are eating. The infant becomes independent after 4 to 6 months.

The white-fronted lemur spends most of its time in the trees. They are cathemeral which means they do not follow a strict schedule of when they are awake. They can be active at any time during the day or the night.

 

WHITE-COLLARED LEMUR

White-collared lemurs live in tropical rainforests and on low-altitude plains. They are found exclusively in the south-east of the island of Madagascar, beside the Mananara River.

There is no hierarchy between the two sexes. These animals, like many other lemurs, vocalize and leave strong scent marks as a means of communication. Groups comprise males and females of 4 to 17 individuals. The activity of white-collared lemurs varies depending on the time of year and the outside temperatures. Because the white-collared lemur is a very shy animal which keeps to itself, these days we still know very little about its breeding habits.

White-collared lemurs look a lot like collared brown lemurs. They differ in that their fur is lighter in color and their tummies whiter. Their name stems from their white beards. White-collared lemurs are tree-dwelling quadrupeds that get around by leaping. They often rest standing upright. The difference between the male and the female is very pronounced; this is known as sexual dimorphism. Males have grey-brown fur and females red-brown.

White-collared lemurs, like all other lemurs, are clearly affected significantly by the destruction of their natural habitat. There are currently two main threats: illegal logging of timber and hunting lemurs for food.

CROWNED LEMUR

The crowned lemur lives in the dry deciduous forests of the northern tip of Madagascar. The population is estimated to 1000–10,000 individuals as of 2004, most of which live within the Ankarana Plateau although there is also a population on the Montagne d’Ambre. Crowned lemurs live in sympatry with the Eulemur sanfordi sharing the same habitat.

This species has a distinctive brown-orange crown on the top of the head. Females have a gray body with an orange crown, and males are a darker reddish-brown, crowned with black and orange.

Crowned lemurs have a life span of approximately 20 years and reach sexual maturity after 20 months. They give birth usually in late September or early October, after a gestation period of 125 days.

Its diet is mostly made of flowers, fruits, and leaves.

 

BROWN LEMUR

The brown lemur lives in groups of 5 to 12 individuals, but group size can be larger, especially on Mayotte and Groups include members of both sexes, including juveniles, and there are no discernible dominance hierarchies. Groups occupy home ranges of 1 to 9 hectares in the west, but more than 20 hectares in the east. They are primarily active during the day but can exhibit cathemeral activity and continue into the night, especially during full moons and during the dry season.

 

The common brown lemur has a total length of 84 to 101 cm, including 41 to 51 cm of the tail. The Weight ranges from 2 to 3 kg. The short, dense fur is primarily brown or grey-brown. The face, muzzle, and crowns are dark greys or black with paler eyebrow patches, and the eyes are orange-red.

The common brown lemur’s diet consists primarily of fruits, young leaves, and flowers. In some locations, it eats invertebrates, such as cicadas, spiders and millipedes. It also eats bark, sap, soil, and red clay. It can tolerate greater levels of toxic compounds from plants than other lemurs can.

The common brown lemur occupies a variety of forest types, including lowland rainforests, montane rainforests, moist evergreen forests, and dry deciduous forests. They spend about 95% of their time in the upper layers of the forest and less than 2% of their time on the ground.

 

BLACK LEMUR

The black lemur is a species of lemur from the family Lemuridae. The species was first thought to have two subspecies, Eulemur macaco and Eulemur macaco flavifrons, both of which were elevated to species status. The most startling difference between the two species is the eye color; Eulemur flavifrons, the blue-eyed black lemur, has blue eyes and is the only primate other than humans to have blue eyes, while Eulemur macaco, the black lemur, has brown or orange eyes, and also has ear tufts.

The black lemur lives in both primary and secondary forest. It is active both during the day and at night. It forages in both the upper and middle canopy, especially at night, and during the day it also forages in the understory. In degraded habitats, it also forages on the ground and may even eat soil.

The black lemur lives in groups of 2 to 15 members, including approximately equal numbers of males and females. Females are dominant over males, although intragroup fighting is rare. Groups have home ranges of about 3.5 to 7 hectares. Ranges overlap considerably, and population density can reach 200 individuals per square kilometer.

The black lemur is between 90 and 110 cm in length, of which 51-65 cm is the tail. Weight typically ranges between 1.8 and 2.0 kilograms. The black lemur displays sexual dimorphism in coloration. Males have black or dark chocolate fur, while females’ fur is of a lighter brown color, generally medium brown, chestnut brown or even orange-brown. Males have large black ear tufts, while females have large white ear tufts.

The black lemur primarily feeds on fruit, which makes up an estimated 78% of its diet. The ripeness of this fruit is vital to the lemur’s diet. Other foods include; flowers, leaves, fungi, some invertebrates and, especially during the dry season, nectar.

Mating usually takes place in April and May. During mating season, the antagonism between males increases, and males sometimes roam between groups. After a gestation of about 125 days, a single infant is usually born between late August and early October. Females typically give birth for the first time at 2 years of age.

 

BLUE-EYED BLACK LEMUR

The blue-eyed black lemur is also known as the Sclater’s lemur. It can attain a body length of 39-45 cm, a tail length of 51-65 cm, and a weight of 1.8-1.9 kg. Being a primate, it has strong hands with palms like a human, which have a rubbery texture to give it a firm grip on branches. Its tail is longer than its body and is non-prehensile.

The blue-eyed black lemur communicates with scent-marking, vocalizations, and perhaps some facial expressions. Scent marking is an important means of communication as with most lemur species. Both genders will mark on trees with anogenital glands, while males will also mark using wrist and palm glands by rubbing and twisting them against leaves, twigs or branches. Males also use a scent gland on the top of their head to mark, lowering their head and rubbing in quick sliding motions. Little is known of its vocalizations, but it has been observed making a variety of grunts, chirps, barks, and clicks. The males are known to make a sharp ‘scree’ when distressed.

The blue-eyed black lemur has also been observed to be a highly aggressive species. There is frequent infighting between troop members, especially during the breeding and birthing seasons. In captivity, it has been observed committing infanticide against other species of lemurs, a behavior that is usually uncommon, especially in captivity.

Fruit, pollen, and nectar make up the bulk of this lemur’s diet. During the dry season when food is scarce it may eat leaves, seeds, and berries and rarely insects. It may also raid farmlands and eat some of the crops, which may lead to it being shot by farmers.

 

MONGOOSE LEMUR

These lemurs inhabit dry deciduous forests in a small area of northwestern Madagascar. The species’ natural range is restricted to these forests, but mongoose lemurs have also been introduced to the Comoros Islands where they live in a more humid environment. This is the only species of lemur that is found outside of Madagascar.

Mongoose lemurs might be active at different times of the day depending on the time of year. Mongoose lemurs appear to be cathemeral throughout wet and the dry season. However, during the warm, wet months (December to April) there is considerably more diurnal and/or evening activity. With the onset of the dry season in May, there is a shift towards nocturnal behavior and the lemurs eventually become most active at night. It is thought that this shift towards nocturnality during the dry, hot season helps the lemurs conserve energy by shifting their activity towards the coolest part of the day. Also, this is the season where there is the least forest cover, so being active at night might help the lemurs avoid detection by predators.

Mongoose lemurs live in small family groups consisting of a monogamous adult pair and one to three of their immature offspring. As is true of most lemur species, females are usually dominant to males, taking preferential access to food and the choice of with whom to mate.

During both the wet and the dry season, fruit appears to dominate the mongoose lemur diet. In the wet season, the animals are also known to feed voraciously on flowers, particularly those from the Kapok tree. In addition, these lemurs are extremely fond of nectar, which may indicate that they are important pollinators of certain species of flowers. During the dry season, the mongoose lemur must turn to mature and immature leaves for nourishment. In the wild, they have also been observed to feed on the occasional beetle and insect grub. In captivity, mongoose lemurs have been seen to stalk, kill, and consume wild birds unfortunate enough to fly into their cages.

In the wild, infants are born in mid-October. Infants cling to their mothers’ bellies for the first 3 weeks, shifting only to nurse. At approximately 5 weeks of age, the young lemurs will take their first tentative steps away from their mothers. With this hint of independence, infants begin to taste solid food, sampling bits of whatever the other members of their group are eating. Nursing continues, in a steady decline in importance in the infant’s diet, until the infant is weaned at approximately 5 – 6 months of age.

As the family group travels through the forest, they maintain extremely close contact. Home ranges are small and there is often overlap with the range of another group. Neighboring groups encounter each other rarely, but when they do, the encounters are marked by aggressive vocalizations, much scent marking and physical charges and threats.

At sexual maturity, offspring are encouraged to leave the family group by the parents. This also occurs in captivity, or, in rare instances, the offspring might kick a parent of the same sex out of the social group. Breeding is extremely seasonal and infants are born mid-October in Madagascar. Single infants are typical, but twinning rarely occurs.

 

RED-BELLIED LEMUR

The re-bellied lemur live in the tropical rainforests of eastern Madagascar.

The male of the species exhibits a medium-long dense dorsal coat of intense chestnut brown. It is lighter and redder in hue, while his tail, muzzle and head are black. For the female, the dorsal area and tail resemble the male, whereas the ventral fur is a contrasting white-cream colour. Whereas the genus Eulemur relatives may exhibit ear tufts or a furry beard, these features are absent for Eulemur rubriventer, which has thickened fur around its ears, lending a fuller facial appearance.

The adult red-bellied lemur has a length of 34 to 40 cm and a tail length which is almost 20% longer than the body itself. The body plus tail length may attain a total length of almost one meter. Typical body mass of a mature individual ranges from 1.6 to 2.4 kilograms. The male has scent glands atop his head.

The red-bellied lemur lives in monogamous groups ranging from 2-10 individuals. It is one of the few lemurs to be recognized as cathemeral, having both diurnal and nocturnal activity patterns. The home range is estimated to be 25 to 35 acres with a typical density of 5 animals per acre. Groups are typically cohesive as they move within their home range, foraging on over thirty species of plants. This lemur is considered by some to be a frugivore, it also feeds on leaves, nectar and flowers of many plant species.

 

SANFORDS LEMUR

Sanford’s lemurs range in tropical moist, dry lowland, and montane forests at the very northern tip of Madagascar. They are found in Ankarana National Park and Montagne d’Ambre National Park.

Sanford’s lemurs are medium brown and medium size, weighing 1.8-2.5 kilograms with long tails. A whiskery “mane” distinguishes male Sanford’s lemurs, contrasting with the black nose, muzzle, and face. Females lack this creamy gray/brown beard and ear tufts. With their gray faces, females of this species resemble white-fronted brown lemurs.

Its diet consist of about 90% of fruit, supplemented by plant parts like; leaves, buds, flowers and centipedes and spiders.

Sanford’s lemurs are cathemeral, active day and night. Group size depends upon the population and habitat, with small mixed-gender groups of 4-7 individuals in rainforests and larger ones of up to 15individuals in the dry forests. Sanford’s lemurs share territory with crowned lemurs and sometimes forage with them. Researchers have not noted the female dominance characteristic of other lemur species.

Sanford’s lemurs reach sexual maturity at age 2. They mate in May and June, and 120 days later, in late September and early October, females give birth to a single infant. Like the brown lemurs, Sanford’s babies cling to the underside of their mothers for about a month before climbing onto their backs.

 

GOLDEN GENTLE LEMUR

The golden gentle lemur is found on the island of Madagascar, in the southeastern region of the country. This species has been found to occur in Ranomafana National Park and the Andringitra Nature Reserve. This species may also be found in the forests near Vondrozo. The golden gentle lemur lives in primary mid-altitudinal forest that is associated with bamboo.

The adult mass of this species averages 1.6 kilograms, although some research reports an adult body mass range of 1175-1245 grams. The front teeth are specially developed for eating bamboo, they also have a dental comb used for grooming. This species has a well-developed brachial gland and a black elliptical area on the palmar surface of the lower arm, which could either be a carpal or antebrachial gland. The secretion from the brachial gland is described as white, viscous, and has a strong odor. Its forelimbs are shorter than the hind limbs.

The pelage coloration of the golden gentle lemur is yellow on the ventral side and gray-brown with pale orange under-fur on the dorsal. Females tend to be a bit more grayish dorsally. The tail darkens towards the tip. The face has a dark color with golden hairs on the cheeks, the side of the face, and around the eyes. The nose of this species is pinkish in coloration. The ears are covered in light hair that does not extend much beyond the tips. Females possess one pair of mammae.

This species gives birth to a single offspring. The estrus cycle for this species was found to occur twice annually. The golden gentle lemur mates at night or dawn during the months of July and August. The birth season for the golden gentle lemur is from November to December, during the beginning of the rainy season. The average gestation length in captivity was found to be 137 days. The interbirth interval for the golden gentle lemur is about one year. After birth the mother will spend of her time during the first ten days “nesting” with the infant. Mothers will park their infants when foraging, even foraging away at distances of 250 meters. When the infant matures more, the mother will start carrying it as she forages. Infants will begin to move away from their mothers at two weeks. Infants of age 20 days will start to chew on non-edible objects. Mothers will wean their infants at age 6 months and at this time the infants will completely move independently. Siblings also will care for infants.

 

BLACK AND WHITE RUFFED LEMUR

The black-and-white ruffed lemur is an endangered species of ruffed lemur, one of two which are endemic to the island of Madagascar. Despite having a larger range than the red ruffed lemur, it has a much smaller population that is spread out, living in lower population densities and reproductively isolated. It also has less coverage and protection in large national parks than the red ruffed lemur. Three subspecies of black-and-white ruffed lemur have been recognized since the red ruffed lemur was elevated to species status in 2001.

The species is the largest extant member of the family Lemuridae, ranging in length from 100 to 120 cm and weighing between 3.1 and 4.1 kg. Abdomen, tail, hands and feet, inner limbs, forehead, face and crown are black. The fur is white on the sides, back, hind limbs and on the hindquarters. Males and females are alike.

Wild black-and-white ruffed lemurs have a highly frugiviorous diet, with fruit making up 92% of their overall diet. Smaller percentages of leaves, nectar, seeds, and even fungi make up the remainder. Their diet is also influenced by the seasons, with certain plant parts and fruits only ripening or becoming available during certain times of the year. Water consumption also varies throughout the year and can be influenced by diet.