The red-bellied lemur (Eulemur rubriventer ) is a medium-sized strepsirrhine primate with a luxuriant chestnut brown coat. This lemur is endemic to eastern Madagascan rainforests and is distinguished by patches of white skin below the eyes, giving rise to a "teardrop" effect, particularly conspicuous in the male.
The species, first identified in 1850, exhibits diurnal behaviour and marked sexual dimorphism. The red-bellied lemur has been studied extensively since the mid-1980s, primarily in Ranomafana National Park. This lemur species is designated as vulnerable according to the IUCN Red List, due to threats endangering habitats from slash-and-burn agriculture in Madagascar.
Ca
CathemeralCathemerality, sometimes called metaturnality, is the behavior in which an organism has sporadic and random intervals of activity during the day or...
Di
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 ...
He
HerbivoreA herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example, foliage, for the main component of its die...
Fr
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...
Ne
NectarivoreIn zoology, a nectarivore is an animal that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of the sugar-...
Fo
FolivoreIn zoology, a folivore is a herbivore that specializes in eating leaves. Mature leaves contain a high proportion of hard-to-digest cellulose, less ...
Ar
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...
Al
AltricialAltricial animals are those species whose newly hatched or born young are relatively immobile. They lack hair or down, are not able to obtain food ...
Br
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...
Zo
ZoochoryZoochory animals are those that can disperse plant seeds in several ways. Seeds can be transported on the outside of vertebrate animals (mostly mam...
Is
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...
Te
TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
Among animals, viviparity is the development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. The term 'viviparity' and its adjective form 'viviparous'...
Mo
MonogamyMonogamy is a form of relationship in which both the male and the female has only one partner. This pair may cohabitate in an area or territory for...
So
SocialDo
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...
No
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.
R
starts withRed-bellied lemurs are medium-sized primates with a luxuriant chestnut brown coat. These lemurs are distinguished by patches of white skin below the eyes, giving rise to a "teardrop" effect, particularly conspicuous in the male. Males in this species have medium-long dense dorsal coat of intense chestnut brown color. Ventrally they are lighter and redder in hue, while their tail, muzzle and head are black. Dorsal area and tail of females resemble the male but the ventral fur is a contrasting white-cream colour. Facial markings are similar to the male, except that "tear drops" are less exaggerated and spiry thick cheek hairs of the male are absent.
![[7666] Red-bellied lemur](https://s3.animalia.bio/animals/photos/small/1x1/7666-red-bellied-lemur.webp)
Red-bellied lemurs are native to eastern Madagascar. They occur as far north as the Tsaratanana Massif, and thence southerly to the Manampatrana River. This species does not occur on the Masolala Peninsula at all. Red-bellied lemurs live in the rainforest that is characterized by dense evergreen vegetation, with a canopy of 25-35 metres (82-115 ft).
Red-bellied lemurs are social animals and live in groups ranging from two to ten individuals. Females are dominant over males and are responsible for leading the whole group during foraging. Females have feeding priority and chose their own mates. Red-bellied lemurs are cathemeral, being active both during the day and during the night. Their home range is around 25 to 35 acres (10 to 14 ha). Groups are typically cohesive as they move within their home range, foraging on over thirty species of plants. Another way of maintaining social cohesion withing the group is grooming. These lemurs also communicate vocally, use scent marks, touches, visual signals and play with each other.
Red-bellied lemurs are herbivorous (frugivorous, folivorous, nectarivorous) animals. Their diet consists mainly of fruits. They also eat leaves, nectar, and flowers of many plant species.
Red-bellied lemurs are monogamous and create strong pair bonds. Births normally occur in October and November (early summer in this Southern Hemisphere habitat). Females give birth to a single infant per year. The gestation period lasts around 127 days. Young are born altricial and weigh 60-70 grams. Both parents take part in raising their offspring. The infant uses its prehensile instincts in order to attach to the mother and father alternately for the first 33 to 37 days of life. After this time the mother often refuses to carry the infant further letting the father take care of their baby for another nine weeks. Young are usually weaned at the age of 5 to 7 months.
The main threat to Red-bellied lemurs is the loss of their habitat due to slash-and-burn practices and illegal logging. These animals also suffer from hunting, especially in certain areas, such as Mantadia.
According to the IUCN Red List, the total population size of the Red-bellied lemur is unknown. However, there is an estimated population of the species within Ranomafana National Park consisting of 1,802 individuals. Currently, this species is classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are decreasing.
Due to their diet, Red-bellied lemurs are very important as seed dispersers withing their range.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...