Northern sportive lemur

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Northern sportive lemur

Critically Endangered  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
CITES Appendix I (CITES)[2]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Suborder: Strepsirrhini
Family: Lepilemuridae
Genus: Lepilemur
Species:
L. septentrionalis
Binomial name
Lepilemur septentrionalis
Rumpler & Albignac, 1975[3]
Distribution of L. septentrionalis[1]
Synonyms
  • sahafarensis Rumpler & Albignac, 1975

The northern sportive lemur (Lepilemur septentrionalis), also known as the Sahafary sportive lemur or northern weasel lemur, is a species of

endemic to Madagascar. As a result of severe ecological and human pressures, the lemur is classified as Critically Endangered (CR) by the IUCN Red List.[1]

Taxonomy

The genus Lepilemur was initially thought to comprise only 2 species:

cryptic species, most likely caused by chromosomal rearrangements in one of the L. septentrionalis evolutionary lineages.[11]

Description

L. septentrionalis is a

arboreal species.[14] Their forward-facing large eyes give the lemurs binocular vision.[13]

Distribution and habitat

The northern sportive lemur inhabits a highly restricted range in Northern Madagascar. The species is located from the left bank of the Loky River to the coast.[15] The natural habitat of the species consists of small patches of deciduous forests north of the Irodo River,[16] near the villages of Madirobe and Ankarongana in the Sahafary region and in the immediate vicinity of Andrahona, which is a small mountain that arises out lowlands south of Antsiranana.[17]

Behaviour

The northern sportive lemur is

nocturnal, foraging for food at night and sleeping in the day. The lemurs sleep in holes or dense foliage in trees ranging from 1 to 8 metres (3.3 to 26.2 ft). Females will leave their young on a branch when foraging for food. Males are solitary and territorial, and their territories often overlap with many female home ranges. Male lemurs will aggressively defend their territories in the mating season. The male is generally thought to be loosely polygynous,[14] but it has been suggested that males can be monogamous.[18] L. septentrionalis individuals communicate through chemical communication in the form of latrine behaviour to mark territory, as well as vocal communication (calls). There are two main calls: a loud crow-like call and a contact rejection call. The loud call is used by the lemurs to reveal their presence and territorial claims to other individuals.[14] The contact rejection call is a series of resonant hisses followed by a two-phase vocalisation, most commonly heard when two individuals approach each other in the wild. The contact rejection call is also heard when conspecifics come into contact with each other in captivity, at which point they may also strike each other with their hands.[19]

Breeding interval Breeding season Average number of offspring Range gestation period Average weaning age Average time to independence Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female) Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male)
Once per year April to August 1 120 to 150 days 4 months 1 year 18 months 18 months

Ecology

The northern sportive lemur is a

caecotrophic, consuming its own faeces to digest food for a second time.[15] The species have large bacteria-filled ceca, which helps them to digest plant matter such as cellulose
and break it down into sugars and starches.

Conservation

The northern sportive lemur is preyed on by the native

Strigiformes, are also natural predators of the lemurs. Along with these ecological threats, the arboreal lemur species are also highly threatened by human charcoal production, which still continues to remove the only remaining forest habitat of the lemurs, greatly restricting their range. L. septentrionalis is also illegally hunted as bushmeat.[12] This combination of threats has severely reduced the population of the lemurs to only a few hundred individuals, as estimated by the IUCN Red List.[1] They are classified as Critically Endangered under the IUCN Red List and are listed on CITES Appendix I, which only permits their trade in exceptional circumstances.[20] The known habitat range of the lemurs does not overlap with any protected areas, and although the Andrahona Forest is considered sacred in Madagascar, it shows signs of human incursion.[1]

References

  1. ^
    doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-2.RLTS.T11622A115567059.en
    . Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  2. ^ "Checklist of CITES Species". CITES. UNEP-WCMC. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  3. OCLC 62265494
    .
  4. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.1931.tb01020.x
    .
  5. S2CID 83740368
    .
  6. ISBN 2-09-241042-3
    .
  7. ISBN 978-1560988724
    .
  8. S2CID 23728128
    .
  9. ISBN 1-929330-10-3
    .
  10. ^ Rabarivola, C.; Zaramody, A.; Fausser, J.-L.; Andriaholinirina, N.; Roos, C.; Zinner, D.; et al. (2006). "Cytogenetic and molecular characteristics of a new species of sportive lemur from northern Madagascar" (PDF). Lemur News. 11: 45–49.
  11. PMID 15062786
    .
  12. ^
    ISBN 978-0300125504
    .
  13. ^
    ISBN 0231047045
    .
  14. ^
    ISBN 978-0123786326
    .
  15. ^ a b Ratsirarson, J. (1987). Contribution a l'etude comparative de l'eco-ethologie de Lemur catta dans deux habitats differents de la Reserve Speciale de Beza-Mahafaly. Universite de Madagascar.
  16. ISBN 2880329574
    .
  17. S2CID 17614597
    .
  18. S2CID 46767773
    .
  19. ISBN 978-0122221507
    .
  20. ^ "Appendices I, II and III". CITES. Retrieved 26 March 2014.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lepilemur septentrionalis.
Wikispecies has information related to Northern sportive lemur.
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