The common brown lemur (Eulemur fulvus ) is a species of lemur in the family Lemuridae. It is found in Madagascar and has been introduced to Mayotte.
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DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
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CathemeralCathemerality, sometimes called metaturnality, is the behavior in which an organism has sporadic and random intervals of activity during the day or...
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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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FrugivoreA 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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FolivoreIn zoology, a folivore is a herbivore that specializes in eating leaves. Mature leaves contain a high proportion of hard-to-digest cellulose, less ...
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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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BrowsingBrowsing is a type of herbivory in which an herbivore (or, more narrowly defined, a folivore) feeds on leaves, soft shoots, or fruits of high-growi...
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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...
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TerritorialA territory is a sociographical area that which an animal consistently defends against the conspecific competition (or, occasionally, against 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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ViviparousAmong 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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Dominance hierarchyA dominance hierarchy (formerly and colloquially called a pecking order) is a type of social hierarchy that arises when members of animal social gr...
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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 withCommon brown lemurs have short, dense fur that is primarily brown or grey-brown in color. The face, muzzle and crown are dark grey or black with paler eyebrow patches, and the eyes are orange-red. Their tails are long and furry. Common brown lemurs have binocular vision. They have a scent gland that is located at their wrist. The animals use it to leave scent marks in order to communicate with each other.
Common brown lemurs live in western Madagascar north of the Betsiboka River and eastern Madagascar between the Mangoro River and Tsaratanana, as well as in inland Madagascar connecting the eastern and western ranges. They also live on the island of Mayotte. Common brown lemurs inhabit lowland rainforests, montane rainforests, moist evergreen forests, and dry deciduous forests.
Common brown lemurs spend most of their time in upper layers of the forest and only some of their time is spent on the ground. They live in groups of 5-12, but group size can be larger, especially on Mayotte. Groups include members of both sexes, including juveniles, and there are no discernible dominance hierarchies. Common brown lemurs are primarily active during the day, but can be cathemeral (active both day and night throughout the year) and continue into the night, especially during full moons and during the dry season. In the western part of their range, Common brown lemurs overlap that of the Mongoose lemur, and the two species sometimes travel together. In the areas of overlap, the two species also adapt their activity patterns to avoid conflict. To maintain social bonds Common brown lemurs often groom each other. These animals communicate using scent glands and sounds. The sound 'ohn' is used to maintain group cohesion. A 'cree' or high pitched sound individuals use as a territorial call, and the 'Crou' sound is usually the alarm call.
Common brown lemurs are herbivorous (frugivorous, folivorous) creatures. Their diet consists primarily of fruits, young leaves, and flowers. In some locations they may eat invertebrates, such as cicadas, spiders and millipedes. They also eats bark, sap, soil and red clay.
Little is known about the mating system in Common brown lemurs. The breeding season for these animals lasts in May and June. Infants are born in September and October after a gestation period that lasts around 120 days. Females usually give birth to a single baby, but twins have also been reported. During the first three weeks after birth, infants hang onto the mother's bellies. After that, they ride on their mother's backs and later they begin to make their first steps. Infants are usually weaned after 4 or 5 months. Males in this species reach reproductive maturity at around 18 months, and females are ready to breed at 2 years of age.
Main threats to Common brown lemurs include habitat destruction, charcoal production, and illegal logging. Hunting is becoming another serious threat to these animals. They suffer from blowpipes, firearms, bow-and-arrows, and traps. Sometimes even whole groups can be captured.
The IUCN Red List and other sources don’t provide the number of the Common brown lemur total population size. Currently, this species is classified as Near Threatened (NT) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are decreasing.
Common brown lemurs act as important seed dispersers of the plant species they consume. This way they benefit the ecosystem of the dry deciduous forests and rainforests, where they live. They also feed on insects and bird nests and thus, may control populations of these animals.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...