Broad-nosed bamboo lemur, Broad-nosed gentle lemur
The greater bamboo lemur (Prolemur simus ), also known as the broad-nosed bamboo lemur and the broad-nosed gentle lemur, is the largest bamboo lemur, at over five pounds or nearly 2.5 kilograms. It has greyish brown fur and white ear tufts, and has a head-body length of around one and a half feet, or forty to fifty centimeters. They have relatively long tails and long back legs for leaping vertically amongst the trees of their forest habitat. It feeds almost exclusively on the bamboo species of Cathariostachys madagascariensis, preferring the shoots but also eating the pith and leaves. It is unknown how their metabolism deals with the cyanide found in the shoots. The typical daily dose would be enough to kill humans. Greater bamboo lemurs occasionally consume fungi, flowers, and fruit. Its main food source is bamboo and it is the main reason why it has become critically endangered. Areas with high density of bamboo have major human disturbances, where humans cut or illegally cut down bamboo. Its only confirmed predators are the fossa and the bushpigs, but raptors are also suspected. Its current range is restricted to southeastern Madagascar, although fossils indicate its former range extended across bigger areas of the island, including as far north as Ankarana. Some notable parts of the current range are the Ranomafana and Andringitra National Parks.
Greater bamboo lemurs live in groups of up to 28. Individuals are extremely gregarious. The species may be the only lemur in which the male is dominant, although this is not certain. Because of their social nature, greater bamboo lemurs have at least seven different calls. Males have been observed taking bamboo pith away from females that had put significant effort into opening the bamboo stems. In captivity, greater bamboo lemurs have lived over the age of 17.
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CrepuscularCrepuscular animals are those that are active primarily during twilight (that is, the periods of dawn and dusk). This is distinguished from diurnal...
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HerbivoreA herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example, foliage, for the main component of its die...
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FolivoreIn zoology, a folivore is a herbivore that specializes in eating leaves. Mature leaves contain a high proportion of hard-to-digest cellulose, less ...
A frugivore is an animal that thrives mostly on raw fruits or succulent fruit-like produce of plants such as roots, shoots, nuts, and seeds. Approx...
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ArborealArboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some anima...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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ZoochoryZoochory animals are those that can disperse plant seeds in several ways. Seeds can be transported on the outside of vertebrate animals (mostly mam...
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Island endemicIsland endemic animals are found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island. Animals or organisms that are indigenous to a place ar...
Among animals, viviparity is the development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. The term 'viviparity' and its adjective form 'viviparous'...
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PolygynyPolygyny is a mating system in which one male lives and mates with multiple females but each female only mates with a single male.
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Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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starts withThe Greater bamboo lemur is an easily recognizable primate with characteristic white tufts on its ears. This animal is the largest of the three bamboo lemur species and one of a few mammals, having a bamboo-based diet. Moreover, this lemur totally depends on bamboo. This unique sedentary primate spends most of its active time feeding on bamboo. Unfortunately, this specialist species cannot adapt to quick changes in its environment. The Greater bamboo lemurs were firstly discovered in 1870. However, due to large-scale clearing and resulting fragmentation of their rainforest habitat, these animals had to live in small, isolated populations and were considered to have gone extinct until the beginning of the 20th century, being discovered again in 1972.
The Greater bamboo lemur is a Madagascar primate, inhabiting areas in and around the Ranomafana National Park in south-eastern Madagascar. Additionally, this animal may occur in the Andringitra Massif and near Vondrozo. Preferred habitat of the Greater bamboo lemur is humid primary rainforest with tall bamboo trees.
These lemurs are social creatures, forming groups of up to 28 individuals, although an average group size is 4 - 7 animals. They occasionally occur in mixed groups with Brown lemurs and Gray gentle lemurs. The social system of Greater bamboo lemurs is unknown. However, unlike most lemurs, males of this species are likely to dominate females. As crepuscular animals, Greater bamboo lemurs are generally active at dawn and dusk. However, these animals have also been reported to be active nocturnally. Greater bamboo lemurs are tree-dwelling primates, but spend considerable amount of time on the ground. Greater bamboo lemurs communicate with each other through vocalizations. One of the main calls is the contact call - a strong yelping vocalization, which gathers the group members. Another important call is the repeated alarm signal, given out when threatened or disturbed and pronounced "ouik-grrraaa".
Greater bamboo lemurs are herbivores (folivores). The diet of this species consists of 98% giant bamboo and 2% flowers, leaves, soil and fruits. Unlike other lemurs, these animals are known to consume mature leaves.
Greater bamboo lemurs are polygynous, which means that one male mates with multiple females. Mating occurs in May-June. Females generally give birth in November, which coincides with the transitional dry and wet seasons. A single infant is born after a gestation period of 142 - 149 days. During the first 5 weeks of its life, the newborn lemur is cared by its mother. When the infant is 7 - 8 weeks old, the mother gradually deceases nursing, after which the baby begins to explore its surroundings, venturing to faraway areas. Weaning takes place at about 8 months old. And finally, at 3 - 4 years old, young males leave their natal groups.
One of the biggest threats to the population of this endangered species is large-scale cutting of bamboo trees, on which the Greater bamboo lemurs are dependent. Another serious concern is destruction of rainforests for slash-and-burn agriculture. Furthermore, localized hunting as well as habitat disturbance, fragmentation and destruction are compounded by very small natural range. Additionally, the Greater bamboo lemurs are unable to successfully breed due to living in small, isolated populations. On the other hand, some of these isolated populations in lowland areas are known to carry various parasites, threatening not only their health, but also lifespan.
According to the IUCN Red List, the total population of Greater bamboo lemurs is over 500 individuals, living in 11 subpopulations. Each of these subpopulations contains less than 250 adult lemurs. Overall, the population of Greater bamboo lemurs is decreasing today, and these animals are classified as Critically Endangered (CR) on the IUCN Red List.
The role of Greater bamboo lemurs in the ecosystem of their habitat is insufficiently explored, although their diet allows them to serve as important seeds dispersers of some plants and primarily - bamboo.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...