Lac Alaotra bamboo lemur

Alaotra bamboo lemur ( Hapalemur alaotrensis )

The Alaotra bamboo lemur or Alaotra bamboo lemur ( Hapalemur alaotrensis ) is a primate of the group of lemurs. Sometimes it is classified as a subspecies of the Eastern bamboo lemurs.

Features

Alaotra bamboo lemurs reach a body length 38-40 centimeters, the tail measures 39 to 41 inches and the weight is 1.1 to 1.4 kg, so that they are slightly larger than the Eastern bamboo lemurs. Their fur is dense and woolly, it is colored at the top in a dark gray-brown, the underside is light gray. The top of the head and neck are chestnut, this color can extend over the shoulders. The head is rounded, the face is colored gray. As with all bamboo lemurs, the ears are small and rounded and the muzzle short.

Distribution and habitat

These primates are like all lemurs available only in Madagascar, their range is now restricted to the shore regions of Alaotra Lake, the largest lake in Madagascar. Unique among primates is their habitat: they inhabit the lined with reeds and papyrus marshes on the banks of this lake. Until the 1950s they lived in the territory of Andilamena, about 60 kilometers north of Lake Alaotra, with the conversion of marshes into rice fields they are extinct there.

Way of life

Alaotra bamboo lemurs are kathemeral, that is, they have no distinct day - night cycle. Their main activity periods include the first and last three hours of daylight, sometimes they are also on the night road. In the reeds they move away on all fours, while they bend with their weight the blades in order to get to the next straws. Larger distances may like other bamboo lemurs overcome jumping. Moreover, they can swim well.

They live in groups of two to nine (usually three to five) animals. The majority of groups are family groups with one male, one female and the common offspring, the larger groups often include two females. The groups inhabit areas with solid 1-8 hectares, they are marked with glandular secretions and calls. Mutual grooming plays an important role in group cohesion.

The food of these animals consists primarily of skipjack papyrus, reeds and barnyardgrass.

Between September and February, the female gives birth to the offspring to the world, in addition to single births are twins relatively common ( 40%). The boys are quite well developed at birth and can immediately ride on the mother's back, sometimes " parked " it during their search for food in the reeds.

Threat

The entire range of the Alaotra bamboo lemurs comprises less than 200 km ², the population is also divided into a smaller group on a peninsula on the north shore of the lake and a larger group in the southwest of the lake. The conversion of the reed belt in rice fields is the main threat, time and again reedbeds are burned. In addition, the animals are hunted because they are made to pet animals either for food or.

An estimate made ​​in 2002 estimated the total population at around 2,500 animals, representing a decline of more than 50 % in the last decade. The IUCN lists the species as " threatened with extinction " ( critically endangered ).