Eastern woolly lemur

Last updated

Eastern woolly lemur
Avahi laniger Grandidier.jpg
CITES Appendix I (CITES) [2]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Suborder: Strepsirrhini
Family: Indriidae
Genus: Avahi
Species:
A. laniger
Binomial name
Avahi laniger
(Gmelin, 1788) [3]
Avahi laniger range map.svg
Distribution of A. laniger [1]
Synonyms

The eastern woolly lemur (Avahi laniger), also known as the eastern avahi or Gmelin's woolly lemur, is a species of woolly lemur native to eastern Madagascar, where it lives in the wet tropical rainforest at low elevations along the eastern coast of the island or they can also inhabit the northern tip of the island with other species. [4] The woolly lemur name refers to their thick, tightly curled hair, whereas their generic name avahi refers to their high-pitched defensive call. The eastern woolly lemur almost has an owl-look with its large eyes, small rounded head, and ears that are mostly hidden. [5] This nocturnal animal weighs 1.0–1.3 kg (2.2–2.9 lb) and reaches a length of 27–29 cm (11–11 in) with a tail of 33–37 cm (13–15 in). Its diet consists mainly of leaves and buds with fruits, flowers, and bark.

Eastern woolly lemurs live in monogamous pairs together with their offspring. The eastern woolly lemur's breeding season ranges from March to May with the baby lemurs being born around August to September. [6]

Other lemur species that live in the same rainforests as eastern woolly lemur are the diademed sifaka (Propithecus diadema) and the red-bellied lemur (Eulemur rubriventer). In southeastern rainforests, sympatric lemur species of A. meridionalis are the brown mouse lemur (Microcebus rufus), the greater dwarf lemur (Cheirogaleus major), the fat-tailed dwarf lemur (Cheirogaleus medius) and the collared brown lemur (Eulemur collaris) in Sainte Luce Forest, and the southern lesser bamboo lemur (Hapalemur meridionalis) in Mandena Forest.

According to one study, a male lemur rarely interacts with more than one other individual when sleeping, traveling or grooming. At night, he would spend about 40% of the time with his partner either grooming or resting. [7]

As of 2020, the eastern woolly lemur continues to exist; however, based on a 2000 study, the entire lemur population might be endangered if the forests continues to "disappear at a disastrous rate". [8] This could be due to many reasons, for example deforestation and forest degradation.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indriidae</span> Family of lemurs

The Indriidae are a family of strepsirrhine primates. They are medium- to large-sized lemurs, with only four teeth in the toothcomb instead of the usual six. Indriids, like all lemurs, live exclusively on the island of Madagascar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lemuridae</span> Family of lemurs

Lemuridae is a family of strepsirrhine primates native to Madagascar and the Comoros. They are represented by the Lemuriformes in Madagascar with one of the highest concentration of the lemurs. One of five families commonly known as lemurs. These animals were once thought to be the evolutionary predecessors of monkeys and apes, but this is no longer considered correct. They are formally referred to as lemurids.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woolly lemur</span> Genus of lemurs

The woolly lemurs, also known as avahis or woolly indris, are nine species of strepsirrhine primates in the genus Avahi. Like all other lemurs, they live only on the island of Madagascar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fat-tailed dwarf lemur</span> Species of lemur

The fat-tailed dwarf lemur, also known as the lesser dwarf lemur, western fat-tailed dwarf lemur, or spiny forest dwarf lemur, is endemic to Madagascar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hairy-eared dwarf lemur</span> Species of lemur

The hairy-eared dwarf lemur, or hairy-eared mouse lemur, is one of the most scarcely known lemurs. A. trichotis is a nocturnal lemur that is endemic to Madagascar. It was originally named by Albert Günther in 1875 as Cheirogaleus trichotis as part of the Cheirogaleidae family, or the dwarf lemurs. In 1967 Petter-Rousseaux and Petter reassigned the lemur to its own genus and is the now only member of the genus Allocebus. The hairy-eared dwarf lemur was thought to be extinct until its rediscovery in 1989 in a northeastern primary lowland rainforest. The population of these mammals is shown to be severely decreasing and largely fragmented throughout Northern and Eastern Madagascar rainforests; most likely due to hunting, trapping, slash-and-burn agriculture as well as habitat fragmentation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crowned lemur</span> Species of lemur

The crowned lemur is a lemur that is 31–36 cm (12–14 in) long and weighs 2 kg (4.4 lb). Its tail is about 42–51 cm (17–20 in) long.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western woolly lemur</span> Species of lemur

The western woolly lemur or western avahi is a species of woolly lemur native to western Madagascar, where they live in dry deciduous forests. These nocturnal animals weigh 0.7–0.9 kg (1.5–2.0 lb). It is a folivorous species.

Nosy Mangabe is a small island reserve located in Antongil Bay about 2 km offshore from the town of Maroantsetra in north-east Madagascar. it is accessible by small boat and is part of the larger Masoala National Park complex. It is a tropical rainforest national park for a species of lemur, the aye-aye. It lies close enough to Maroantsetra for a day trip, although an overnight stay is recommended for seeing the nocturnal aye-aye.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greater dwarf lemur</span> Species of lemur

The greater dwarf lemur, or the Geoffroy's dwarf lemur, is a lemur that is widely distributed over the primary and secondary forests near the eastern coast of Madagascar. They are also found in northern parts of Madagascar. Greater dwarf lemurs live in forests and dry scrub areas. The head and body of the greater dwarf lemur can range from 167 to 264 millimeters in length, and 164 to 600 grams. Their tails can range from 195 to 310 millimeters in length.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dwarf lemur</span> Genus of lemurs

The dwarf lemurs are the lemurs of the genus Cheirogaleus. All of the species in this genus, like all other lemurs, are native to Madagascar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ambohitantely Special Reserve</span>

Ambohitantely Special Reserve is a 5,600-hectare (14,000-acre) wildlife reserve of Madagascar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern woolly lemur</span> Species of lemur

The southern woolly lemur, or southern avahi, has been recently recognized as a separate species of woolly lemur in 2006 by Zaramody et al. It is a nocturnal and pair-living species. Groups can range from 2 to 5 individuals. A study in Sainte Luce forest revealed home range varied from 2.2 to 3.5 ha and that males can have larger home range and cover longer daily distances than females, in agreement with the territory defence and mate guarding hypotheses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Betsileo woolly lemur</span> Species of lemur

The Betsileo woolly lemur or Betsileo avahi is a species of woolly lemur native to southeastern Madagascar, in the District of Fandriana. The pelage differs significantly from other southeastern woolly lemurs in that it is primarily light reddish brown on most of the body and grey under the jaw and on the extremities. The pelage is thicker on the head than other eastern woolly lemurs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ramanantsoavana's woolly lemur</span> Species of lemur

Ramanantsoavana's woolly lemur, also known as Ramanantsoavana's avahi or the Manombo woolly lemur, is a species of woolly lemur native to southeastern Madagascar. It weighs about 1 kg. It was originally considered a subspecies of the southern woolly lemur, A. m. ramanantsoavana, but was elevated to a separate species in 2006 based on molecular, phenotypic and morphological data.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milne-Edwards's sifaka</span> Species of lemur

Milne-Edwards's sifaka, or Milne-Edwards's simpona, is a large arboreal, diurnal lemur endemic to the eastern coastal rainforest of Madagascar. Milne-Edwards's sifaka is characterized by a black body with a light-colored "saddle" on the lower part of its back. It is closely related to the diademed sifaka, and was until recently considered a subspecies of it. Like all sifakas, it is a primate in the family Indriidae.

The Lavasoa dwarf lemur is a small, nocturnal strepsirrhine primate and a species of lemur that is endemic to three small, isolated patches of forest on the southern slopes of the Lavasoa Mountains in southern Madagascar. Fewer than 50 individuals are thought to exist. Its habitat lies in a transitional zone between three ecoregions: dry spiny bush, humid littoral forest, and humid forest. First collected in 2001 and thought to be a subpopulation of the furry-eared dwarf lemur (C. crossleyi), it was not formally described until 2013. It is one of six species of dwarf lemur, though the research that identified it also suggested the existence of many more new species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sainte Luce Reserve</span>

Sainte Luce Reserve is a nature reserve in south-east Madagascar and part of one of the last remaining intact coastal rainforests in the country. The reserve is private, and has been managed by the Filana Association since 2010. It forms part of the greater Sainte Luce rainforest, which is approximately 15 km long and varies from 100m to 700m wide. The reserve itself is approximately 1 km long and averages 300m across.

References

  1. 1 2 Patel, E. (2020). "Avahi laniger". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2020: e.T2434A115559557. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-2.RLTS.T2434A115559557.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. "Checklist of CITES Species". CITES. UNEP-WCMC. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  3. Groves, C. P. (2005). Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 119. ISBN   0-801-88221-4. OCLC   62265494.
  4. Andriantompohavana, R.; Randriamanana, J. C.; Sommer, J. A.; Brenneman, R. A.; Louis, E. E. (September 2004). "Characterization of 22 microsatellite loci developed from the genome of the Woolly Lemur (Avahi laniger)". Molecular Ecology Notes. 4 (3): 400–403. doi:10.1111/j.1471-8286.2004.00665.x.
  5. "Eastern woolly lemur (Avahi laniger)". Wildscreen Arkive. 2017-06-05. Archived from the original on 2017-06-05.
  6. Ehler, Pam (2002). "Avahi Laniger (avahi)". Animal Diversity Web. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  7. Harcourt, Caroline (April 1991). "Diet and behaviour of a nocturnal lemur, Avahi laniger, in the wild". Journal of Zoology. 223 (4): 667–674. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.1991.tb04395.x.
  8. Thalmann, Urs; Geissmann, Thomas (December 2000). "Distribution and geographic variation in the western woolly lemur (Avahi occidentalis) with description of a new species (A. unicolor)". International Journal of Primatology. 21 (6): 915–941. doi:10.1023/A:1005507028567. S2CID   38525400 . Retrieved 16 October 2020.