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Lemurs[1]
Ring-tailed Lemurs (Lemur catta)
Ring-tailed Lemurs (Lemur catta)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Suborder: Strepsirrhini
Infraorder: Lemuriformes
Gray, 1821
Superfamilies and Families

Lemurs make up the infraorder Lemuriformes and are members of a group of primates known as prosimians. The Ring-tailed Lemur ( Lemur catta) is a relatively large Strepsirhine Primate, a Lemur belonging to the family Lemuridae. Chordates ( Phylum Chordata) are a group of Animals that includes the Vertebrates together with several closely related Invertebrates Mammals ( class Mammalia) are a class of Vertebrate Animals characterized by the presence of Sweat glands, including sweat glands A primate is a member of the biological order Primates ( Latin: "prime first rank" the group that contains Lemurs the Aye-aye The Clade Strepsirrhini is one of the two Suborders of Primates One of the most distinguishing characteristic of these 118 species is their Wet John Edward Gray ( 12 February 1800 &ndash 7 March 1875) was a British zoologist. In Biological classification, family ( Latin Cheirogaleidae is the family of Strepsirrhine Primates that contains the various dwarf and mouse lemurs Cheirogaleidae is the family of Strepsirrhine Primates that contains the various dwarf and mouse lemurs Lemuroidea is the superfamily of Strepsirrhine Primates that contains many of the Lemur species including True lemurs Sportive lemurs Lemuridae is a family of Prosimian Primates native to Madagascar, and one of four families commonly known as Lemurs These animals The sportive lemurs are the medium sized Primates that make up the Lepilemuridae family The Indridae (also spelled Indriidae) are a family of Strepsirrhine Primates They are medium to large sized Lemurs with only four teeth in A primate is a member of the biological order Primates ( Latin: "prime first rank" the group that contains Lemurs the Aye-aye Prosimians are the most primitive extant Primates they have characteristics similar to forms that were ancestral to Monkeys Apes and The term "lemur" is derived from the Latin word lemures, meaning "spirits of the night" or "ghosts". Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. In Roman mythology, the larvae or lemures (singular lemur) were the spectres or spirits of the dead they were the malignant version of the This likely refers to their large, reflective eyes and the wailing cries of some species (the Indri in particular). The tapetum lucidum ( Latin: "bright tapestry" plural tapeta lucida) is a layer of tissue in the Eye of many Vertebrate animals that The Indri ( Indri indri) also called the Babakoto, is one of the largest living Lemurs It is a diurnal tree-dweller related to the The term is generically used for the members of the four lemuriform families, but it is also the genus of one of the lemuriform species, the Ring-tailed Lemur (Lemur catta). The Ring-tailed Lemur ( Lemur catta) is a relatively large Strepsirhine Primate, a Lemur belonging to the family Lemuridae. The two so-called flying lemur species are not lemurs, nor are they even primates.

Contents

Biology

Lemurs are found naturally only on the island of Madagascar and some smaller surrounding islands, including the Comoros (where they were likely introduced by humans). Endemism is the Ecological state of being unique to a place Endemic species are not naturally found elsewhere Madagascar, or Republic of Madagascar (older name Malagasy Republic) is an Island nation in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern The Comoros (ˈkɒməroʊz; جزر القمر Juzur al-Qumur) officially the Union of the Comoros (Union des Comores الإتّحاد القمريّ Fossil evidence indicates that they reached Madagascar after it broke away from mainland Africa, possibly by "rafting" across the ocean on large clumps of vegetation. [2] While their ancestors were displaced in the rest of the world by monkeys, apes, and other primates, the lemurs were safe from competition on Madagascar and differentiated into a number of species. These range in size from the tiny 30 gram (1 oz) Pygmy Mouse Lemur to the 10 kilogram (22 lb) Indri. The Pygmy Mouse Lemur ( Microcebus myoxinus) also known as Peters' Mouse Lemur, is the smallest of the Mouse lemurs and the smallest Primate The Indri ( Indri indri) also called the Babakoto, is one of the largest living Lemurs It is a diurnal tree-dweller related to the The larger species, some of which weighed up to 240 kg[3], have all become extinct since humans settled on Madagascar, and since the early 20th century the largest lemurs reach about 7 kilograms (15 lbs). Typically, the smaller lemurs are nocturnal, while the larger ones are diurnal. As an Animal behavior, nocturnality describes sleeping during the Daytime and being active at Night - the opposite of the diurnal In Animal behavior, diurnality indicates an Animal that is active during the Daytime and rests during the Night.

The small cheirogaleoids are generally omnivores, eating a variety of fruits, flowers and leaves (and sometimes nectar) as well as insects, spiders and small vertebrates. Cheirogaleidae is the family of Strepsirrhine Primates that contains the various dwarf and mouse lemurs Omnivores (from Latin omne all everything vorare to devour are species that eat both Plants and Animals as their primary Vertebrates are members of the Subphylum Vertebrata, Chordates with backbones or spinal columns The grouping sometimes includes The remainder of the lemurs, the lemuroids are primarily herbivores, although some species supplement their diet with insects. Herbivory is a form of Predation in which an Organism, known as a herbivore, consumes principally Autotrophs ref name=Campbell>Campbell

Except for the Indri, all lemurs have long tails that they use for communication with each other and balance when leaping between trees. The Indri ( Indri indri) also called the Babakoto, is one of the largest living Lemurs It is a diurnal tree-dweller related to the They have opposable thumbs and long toes adapted for gripping tree branches. Lemurs have nails rather than claws on all digits except the second toe of each hind foot, which has a "toilet claw" for grooming. All lemur species have a tapetum, the reflective layer over the retina that causes their eyes to shine at night. The tapetum lucidum ( Latin: "bright tapestry" plural tapeta lucida) is a layer of tissue in the Eye of many Vertebrate animals that [3] Lemurs are thought to have limited color vision. [3] Lemurs depend heavily on the sense of smell and have large nasal cavities and moist noses. [3]

Unlike most other primates, lemur species that live in groups have a Matriarchal society (i. Matriarchy is a term which is applied to gynocentric form of Society, in which the leading role is by the Female and especially by the Mothers e. females are dominant over males). Most lemur species are arboreal and traverse the canopy by vertical clinging and leaping or quadrupedalism, with the exception of the Ring-Tailed Lemur, which spends most of its time on the ground. The Ring-tailed Lemur ( Lemur catta) is a relatively large Strepsirhine Primate, a Lemur belonging to the family Lemuridae.

Endangered species

Female (top) and male (bottom) black lemurs in their natural habitat in Madagascar
Female (top) and male (bottom) black lemurs in their natural habitat in Madagascar

Most lemurs are listed as endangered or threatened species. Madagascar, or Republic of Madagascar (older name Malagasy Republic) is an Island nation in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern An endangered species is a population of an organism which is at risk of becoming Extinct because it is either few in numbers or threatened by changing environmental or predation Threatened species are any species (including Animals Plants fungi, etc Many species have gone extinct in the last centuries, mainly due to habitat destruction (deforestation) and hunting. Deforestation is the conversion of Forested areas to non-forest land for use such as Arable land, Pasture, urban use logged area or wasteland Conservation of lemurs in Madagascar is a high priority, but the country's poor economic situation and the lemurs' limited range make it an uphill battle. There are 85 living lemur species accounted for in current publications,[4][5][6][7], with more documentation currently awaiting publication.

One of the foremost lemur research facilities is the Duke Lemur Center. In 1966, a Prosimian colony of approximately 90 individuals was relocated from the Center for Prosimian Biology at Yale University to Duke University

Classification

Thermographic image of a Ring-tailed Lemur in the morning sun.
Thermographic image of a Ring-tailed Lemur in the morning sun.

As shown here, the four families of lemurs are split into two superfamilies. The Cheirogaleidae have a pedal structure similar to the other strepsirrhine families and the haplorrhines, suggesting they split off from the other lemurs first. Cheirogaleidae is the family of Strepsirrhine Primates that contains the various dwarf and mouse lemurs The Clade Strepsirrhini is one of the two Suborders of Primates One of the most distinguishing characteristic of these 118 species is their Wet The haplorrhines, the "dry-nosed" primates (the Greek name means "simple-nosed" are members of the Haplorrhini clade: the Prosimian As such, the Cheirogaleoidea are a sister clade to the Lemuroidea. A clade is a taxonomic group comprising a single Common ancestor and all the descendants of that ancestor

Female dominance

Female dominance is a very rare social structure in mammals only observed consistently in hyenas and lemurs[8]. A primate is a member of the biological order Primates ( Latin: "prime first rank" the group that contains Lemurs the Aye-aye The Clade Strepsirrhini is one of the two Suborders of Primates One of the most distinguishing characteristic of these 118 species is their Wet Cheirogaleidae is the family of Strepsirrhine Primates that contains the various dwarf and mouse lemurs Cheirogaleidae is the family of Strepsirrhine Primates that contains the various dwarf and mouse lemurs Lemuroidea is the superfamily of Strepsirrhine Primates that contains many of the Lemur species including True lemurs Sportive lemurs Lemuridae is a family of Prosimian Primates native to Madagascar, and one of four families commonly known as Lemurs These animals The sportive lemurs are the medium sized Primates that make up the Lepilemuridae family The Indridae (also spelled Indriidae) are a family of Strepsirrhine Primates They are medium to large sized Lemurs with only four teeth in The Aye-aye ( Daubentonia madagascariensis) is a Strepsirrhine native to Madagascar that combines Rodent -like teeth with a long thin middle Lorisiformes are a group of Primates found throughout Africa and Asia. Galagos, also known as bushbabies, bush babies or nagapies (meaning "little night monkeys" in Afrikaans) are small Nocturnal Loris is the common name for the Strepsirrhine Primates of the subfamily Lorinae in family Lorisidae. The haplorrhines, the "dry-nosed" primates (the Greek name means "simple-nosed" are members of the Haplorrhini clade: the Prosimian It occurs when all adult males exhibit submissive behavior to adult females in social settings. These social settings are usually related to feeding, grooming, and sleeping site priority. Interestingly, lemurs do not exhibit sexual dimorphism (males and females are the same in physical appearance and size)[9]. Therefore, male deference is a social construct and not a matter of size or strength.

Female social dominance was first observed in ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta) by Alison Jolly in 1966[10]. Since then, many, but not all, species of lemurs have been found to demonstrate female social dominance including the crowned lemur (Lemur coronatus) and the gray mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus).

Hypotheses for the Evolution of Female Dominance

There are three basic proposals for the evolution of female dominance[11]:

  1. The Energy Conservation Hypothesis: males subordinate to females to conserve energy for the intense male-male competition experienced during lemur’s very short breeding season
  2. Male behavioral strategy: males defer as a parental investment because it ensures more resources in the harsh unpredictable climate of Madagascar for the female, and thus, the male’s future offspring.
  3. Female behavioral strategy: dominance helps females deal with the unusually high reproductive demands; they win more social conflicts because they have more at stake in terms of fitness.

Since these original proposals, scientists like Peter Kappeler have modified and integrated other ideas, but there is no single hypothesis that can fully explain female social dominance in lemurs at this time and all three are likely to play a role.

In popular culture

Lemurs are not as commonly seen in pop culture settings as other primates, but their popularity has grown recently due to greater exposure.

References

  1. ^ a b Groves, Colin (16 November 2005). Colin Groves is Professor of Biological Anthropology at the Australian National University in Canberra, Australia. Events 534 - A second and final revision of the Codex Justinianus is published Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. in Wilson, D. E. , and Reeder, D. M. (eds): Mammal Species of the World, 3rd edition, Johns Hopkins University Press, 111-121. ISBN 0-801-88221-4.  
  2. ^ "What's A Lemur?". Retrieved on 2006-04-19. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1012 - Martyrdom of Alphege in Greenwich London. 1529 - At the Second Diet of Speyer
  3. ^ a b c d Strier, Karen B. (2000). Primate Behavioral Ecology. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 49.  
  4. ^ Mittermeier, Russell A. , Konstant, William R. , Hawkins, Frank, Louis, Edward E. , and Langrand, Olivier (2006). Lemurs of Madagascar, 2nd edition, Conservation International. Retrieved on 2006-10-29. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 437 - Valentinian III, Western Roman Emperor, marries Licinia Eudoxia, daughter of his cousin Theodosius II  
  5. ^ Andriaholinirina, N. , Fausser, J. , Roos, C. , Rumpler, Y. , et al (February 2006). "Molecular phylogeny and taxonomic revision of the sportive lemurs (Lepilemur, Primates)". BMC Evolutionary Biology 6: 17. doi:10.1186/1471-2148-6-17. A digital object identifier ( DOI) is a permanent identifier given to an Electronic document. doi:10.1186/1471-2148-6-17. A digital object identifier ( DOI) is a permanent identifier given to an Electronic document.  
  6. ^ Edward E. Louis, Jr. , Shannon E. Engberg, Runhua Lei, Huimin Geng, Julie A. Sommer, Richard Randriamampionona, Jean C. Randriamanana, John R. Zaonarivelo, Rambinintsoa Andriantompohavana, Gisele Randria, Prosper, Boromé Ramaromilanto, Gilbert Rakotoarisoa, Alejandro Rooney, and Rick A. Brenneman (2006). "Molecular and morphological analyses of the sportive lemurs (Family Megaladapidae: Genus Lepilemur) reveals 11 previously unrecognized species" (PDF). Texas Tech University Special Publications (49): 1-49.  
  7. ^ Olivieria, G. , Zimmermannb, E. , Randrianambininab, B. , Rassoloharijaonab, S. , Rakotondravonyb, D. , Guschanskia, K. , Radespiela, U. (2006-10-26). "The ever-increasing diversity in mouse lemurs: three new species in north and northwestern Madagascar". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2006.10.026 10.1016/j.ympev.2006.10.026 . A digital object identifier ( DOI) is a permanent identifier given to an Electronic document.  
  8. ^ L. I. Digby and S. M. Kahlenberg, 2002. “Female dominance in blue-eyed black lemurs” Primates 43: 191-199.
  9. ^ N. V. Engelhardt, P. M. Kappeler, and M. Heistermann, 2000. “Androgen levels and female social dominance in Lemur catta” Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B. 267: 1553-1539.
  10. ^ A Jolly 1966 "Lemur Behavior" University of Chicago Press, Chicago
  11. ^ A. L. Young, A. F. Richard, and L. C. Aiello, 1990 "Female Dominance and Maternal Invesment in Strepsirhine Primates" The American Naturalist 135: 473-488

External links

Dictionary

lemur

-noun

  1. Any animal of the prosimians, making up the infraorder Lemur, the evolutionary predecessors of monkeys and apes, native only to Madagascar and some surrounding islands.
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