Lemuridae
Lemuridae | |
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Common brown lemur (E. fulvus), female with juvenile | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Primates |
Suborder: | Strepsirrhini |
Superfamily: | Lemuroidea |
Family: | Lemuridae Gray, 1821[1] |
Type genus | |
Lemur Linnaeus, 1758
| |
Genera | |
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.[3] They are formally referred to as lemurids.
Classification
The family Lemuridae contains 21 extant species in five genera.[4]
Family Lemuridae
- Genus Lemur
- Ring-tailed lemur, Lemur catta
- Genus Eulemur, true lemurs
- Common brown lemur, Eulemur fulvus
- Sanford's brown lemur, Eulemur sanfordi
- White-headed lemur, Eulemur albifrons
- Red lemur, Eulemur rufus
- Red-fronted lemur, Eulemur rufifrons
- Collared brown lemur, Eulemur collaris
- Gray-headed lemur, Eulemur cinereiceps
- Black lemur, Eulemur macaco
- Blue-eyed black lemur, Eulemur flavifrons
- Crowned lemur, Eulemur coronatus
- Red-bellied lemur, Eulemur rubriventer
- Mongoose lemur, Eulemur mongoz
- Genus Varecia, ruffed lemurs
- Black-and-white ruffed lemur, Varecia variegata
- Red ruffed lemur, Varecia rubra
- Genus Hapalemur, bamboo lemurs
- Eastern lesser bamboo lemur (a.k.a. gray gentle bamboo lemur), Hapalemur griseus
- Southern lesser bamboo lemur, Hapalemur meridionalis
- Western lesser bamboo lemur, Hapalemur occidentalis
- Lac Alaotra gentle lemur (a.k.a. bandro), Hapalemur alaotrensis
- Golden bamboo lemur, Hapalemur aureus
- Greater bamboo lemur, Hapalemur simus
- Genus †Pachylemur
- †Pachylemur insignis
- †Pachylemur jullyi
- †
This family was once broken into two subfamilies, Hapalemurinae (bamboo lemurs and the greater bamboo lemur) and Lemurinae (the rest of the family), but molecular evidence and the similarity of the scent glands have since placed the ring-tailed lemur with the bamboo lemurs and the greater bamboo lemur.[5]
Lemur species in the genus
Characteristics
Lemurids are medium-sized arboreal primates, ranging from 32 to 56 cm in length, excluding the tail, and weighing from 0.7 to 5 kg. They have long, bushy tails and soft, woolly fur of varying coloration. The hindlegs are slightly longer than the forelegs, although not enough to hamper fully
Lemurids are
With most lemurids, the mother gives birth to one or two young after a gestation period of between 120 and 140 days, depending on species. The ruffed lemur species are the only lemurids that have true litters, consisting of anywhere from two to six offspring. They are generally sociable animals, living in groups of up to thirty individuals in some species.[10] In some cases, such as the ring-tailed lemur, the groups are long-lasting, with distinct dominance hierarchies, while in others, such as the common brown lemur, the membership of the groups varies from day to day, and seems to have no clear social structure.[7]
Some of the lemur traits include low basal metabolic rate, highly seasonal breeders, adaptations to unpredictable climate and female dominance. Female dominance amongst lemurs is when the females are sexually monomorphic and have priority access to food. Lemurs live in groups of 11 to 17 animals, where females tend to stay within their natal groups and the males migrate. Male lemurs are competitive to win their mates which causes instability among the other organisms. Lemurs are able to mark their territory by using scents from local areas.[11]
A number of lemur species are considered threatened; two species are
Habitat
The highly seasonal dry deciduous forest of Madagascar alternates between dry and wet seasons, making it uniquely suitable for lemurs. Lemur species diversity increases as the number of tree species in an area increase and is also higher in forests that have been disturbed over undisturbed areas.
References
- OCLC 62265494.
- ^ "Checklist of CITES Species". CITES. UNEP-WCMC. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
- ISBN 978-1-58834-176-1.
- S2CID 17614597.
- OCLC 883321520.
- ^ Jekielek, J. (2002). Hybridization of brown Lemurs at Berenty Reserve, Madagascar (MSc.). Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-87196-871-5.
- S2CID 1484275.
- S2CID 3461550.
- S2CID 45299216.
- S2CID 44037722.
- S2CID 83650799.
- S2CID 25469045.