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Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Subphylum
Vertebrata
Class
Mammalia
Order
Primates
Suborder
Strepsirrhini
Family
Lepilemuridae
Species
Lepilemur mustelinus
Lepilemur mustelinus
weasel sportive lemur
2010/02/07 03:25:48.583 US/Eastern
By Christina Schreffler
Species:
Lepilemur mustelinus
Geographic Range
Sportive lemurs,
Lepilemur mustelinus
, live in the deciduous forests of the East and West coasts of Madagascar (Macdonald, 1984; Grzimek, 1990).
(
Grzimek, 1990
;
Macdonald, 1984
)
Habitat
Sportive lemurs live in the deciduous, humid, and gallery forests of Madagascar. They sleep during the day in tree hollows or occasionally in nests in the open when there is little threat from predators (Macdonald, 1984; Richard, 1987).
(
Macdonald, 1984
;
Richard, 1987
)
Physical Description
Mass
500 to 900 g
(17.6 to 31.68 oz)
Length
24 to 30 cm
(9.45 to 11.81 in)
Sportive lemurs measure about 24 to 30 cm for head and body length, with a tail of about 22 to 29 cm. Typically, members of the genus weigh between 500 and 900 g. The tail is always shorter than the body, and the legs are always much longer than the arms. There are six recognized subspecies and fur coloration differs between populations. However, in general sportive lemurs are brown to grey on their backs and tails with a light to white underbelly. They have dense, woolly fur, and prominent ears. Their dental formula is 0/2, 1/1, 3/3, 3/3 = 32 (Macdonald, 1984).
(
Macdonald, 1984
)
Reproduction
Breeding interval
Breeding occurs annually.
Breeding season
Mating occurs from May through August.
Number of offspring
1 (average)
Gestation period
135 days (average)
Time to weaning
4 months (average)
Time to independence
1 years (average)
Age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female)
18 months (average)
Age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male)
18 months (average)
Males occupy territories by themselves which tend to overlap with the territories of two to three females with which they will mate (Macdonald, 1984; Richard, 1987).
(
Macdonald, 1984
;
Richard, 1987
)
Sportive lemurs reach sexual maturity at about 18 months of age. Sexual receptivity in females, estrous, is marked by a distinct swelling of the genitalia. Mating occurs from May through August. Females give birth to single young between September and November with a gestation period of about 135 days. The young are weaned around 4 months of age, but are not independent until they are about one year old. (Nowak, 1999; Macdonald, 1984; Richard, 1987).
Not much is known about the parental behavior of these animals. Females sometimes carry their young, and sometimes "park" them on a branch while they forage. The young are weaned at about 4 months of age. Young follow their mother until they are around one year of age. The role of males in parental care has not been described.
(
Nowak, 1999
)
Parental investment:
altricial
; pre-fertilization (provisioning, protecting: female); pre-hatching/birth (provisioning: female, protecting: female); pre-weaning/fledging (provisioning: female, protecting: female); pre-independence (protecting: female); extended period of juvenile learning.
Lifespan/Longevity
Average lifespan (captivity)
12 years
Members of the genus
Lepilemur
are reported to have lived as long as 12 years in captivity.
Lepilemur mustelinus
is probably similar.
(
Nowak, 1999
)
Behavior
Lepilemur mustelinus
is both arboreal and nocturnal. These lemurs move from tree to tree by leaping vertically beween tree trunks or vertical branches. They leap an average of five meters. When travelling on the ground, sportive lemurs can walk on all four feet or can leap on their hind legs. Although most of their activities are solitary, sportive lemurs sometimes gather in large groups before going out to feed alone. Occasionally a male-female pair will meet to feed, rest, or groom together but they rarely stay together for more than an hour at a time (Richard, 1987).
(
Richard, 1987
)
Home Range
In
Lepilemur leucopus
, another member of the genus, home ranges of females measure 0.18 hectares, and those of males measure 0.30 hectares. Home ranges of
L. mustelinus
are probably comparable.
(
Nowak, 1999
)
Communication and Perception
Visual displays, vocalizations, chases, and severe fighting have all been reported for this genus. Although not reported for these animals, prosimians usually scent mark their territories, and it is reasonable to suppose that
L. mustelinus
engages in some scent marking and chemical communication.
(
Nowak, 1999
)
Food Habits
The diet of
L. mustelinus
is primarily leaves. However, these animals also eat fruit, flowers, and bark. Sportive lemurs may not be capable of completely digesting this folivorous diet and they have been known to eat their own feces, perhaps in order to extract more nutrients from the food on its second journey through their digestive tract. Sportive lemurs do not pick leaves or fruit from branches when feeding, but instead they bring branches to their mouths and feed directly from them (Grzimek, 1990; Richard, 1987).
(
Grzimek, 1990
;
Richard, 1987
)
Plant Foods:
leaves; wood, bark, or stems; fruit; flowers.
Predation
These small nocturnal primates probably fall prey to raptors, snakes, fossas, and any other carnivorous animal large enough to subdue them. Humans are reported to hunt members of this genus for meat.
(
Nowak, 1999
)
Ecosystem Roles
As frugivores, these primates probably help to disperse seeds. To the extent that they serve as prey for other animals, they may impact local food webs.
Key ways these animals impact their ecosystem:
disperses seeds.
Economic Importance for Humans: Negative
There are no known negative effects of sportive lemurs on humans.
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
Sportive lemurs are sometimes hunted for their meat (Grzimek, 1990).
(
Grzimek, 1990
)
Ways that people benefit from these animals:
food
.
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List:
[link]
:
Lower Risk - Near Threatened.
US Federal List:
[link]
:
Endangered.
Lepilemur mustelinus
is considered threatened due to habitat destruction and the breakdown of anti-hunting rules (Richard, 1987).
Other Comments
Due to human introduction of farming and domesticated animals on Madagascar, many species of lemurs have become extinct. Therefore, it is important to remember that no animals of Madagascar, including sportive lemurs, are members of intact ecological communities (Richard, 1987).
For More Information
Find
Lepilemur mustelinus
information at
Contributors
Christina Schreffler (author), University of Michigan.
Phil Myers (editor), Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan.
Nancy Shefferly (editor), Animal Diversity Web Staff.
References
Grzimek, 1990.
Grzimek's Encyclopedia of Mammals
. McGraw-Hill, Inc..
Macdonald, D. 1984.
Encyclopedia of Mammals
. Oxford: Equinox.
Nowak, R. 1999.
Walker's Mammals of the World, Sixth Edition
. Baltimore and London: The Johns Hopkins University Press.
Richard, A. 1987. Malagasy Prosimians: Female Dominance. Pp. 25-33 in D. Cheney, R. Seyfarth, B. Smuts, T. Struhsaker, R. Wrangham, eds.
Primate Societies
. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
2010/02/07 03:25:50.066 US/Eastern
To cite this page:
Schreffler, C. 2000. "Lepilemur mustelinus" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed February 09, 2010 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Lepilemur_mustelinus.html.
Disclaimer:
The Animal Diversity Web is an educational resource
written largely by and for college students
. ADW doesn't cover all species in the world, nor does it include all the latest scientific information about organisms we describe. Though we edit our accounts for accuracy, we cannot guarantee all information in those accounts. While ADW staff and contributors provide references to books and websites that we believe are reputable, we cannot necessarily endorse the contents of references beyond our control.
Other formats:
OWL
Sponsored in part by the Interagency Education Research Initiative,
the Homeland Foundation and the
University of Michigan
Museum of Zoology
.
This material is based upon work supported by the
National Science Foundation
under Grants DUE-0633095 and DRL-0628151.
The ADW Team gratefully acknowledges their support.
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