Woolly lemur

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Woolly lemurs (Avahis)[1]
Eastern Woolly Lemur (Avahi laniger)
Eastern Woolly Lemur (Avahi laniger)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Family: Indriidae
Genus: Avahi
Jourdan, 1834
Type species
Lemur laniger
Gmelin, 1788
Species

The woolly lemurs, also known as avahis or woolly indris, are five species of strepsirrhine primates. Like all other lemurs, they live only on the island of Madagascar.

With a body size of 30 to 45 cm and a weight of 600 to 1200 g, the woolly lemurs are the smallest indriids. Their fur is short and woolly. The body can be grey brown to reddish, with white on the back of the thighs,[2] with a long orange tail. Their head is round with a short muzzle and ears hidden in the fur.

The woolly lemurs live in tropical rain forests, spending most of their time in the leafy copse. Like many leafeaters they need long naps to digest their food. Woolly lemurs live together in groups of two to five animals, which often consist of parents and several generations of their offspring.

Like all indrids, the woolly lemurs are strictly vegetarian, eating predominantly leaves, but also buds and flowers.

Males and female mate monogamously. The gestation period is four to five months, with births usually coming in September. In the first few months, the young rides on the back of its mother. After approximately six months it is weaned, and can live independently after a year, although it will typically live for another year in proximity to its mother. Overall life expectancy is not known.

Other lemur species that live in the same rainforests are the Diademed Sifaka and the Red-bellied Lemur.

On November 11, 2005, a research team that discovered a new species of woolly lemur in 1990 in western Madagascar named the species, Bemaraha Woolly Lemur (Avahi cleesei), after actor John Cleese, in recognition of Cleese's work to save lemurs in the wild.

[edit] Classification

[edit] References

  1. ^ Groves, Colin (16 November 2005). in Wilson, D. E., and Reeder, D. M. (eds): Mammal Species of the World, 3rd edition, Johns Hopkins University Press, 119. ISBN 0-801-88221-4. 
  2. ^ Rowe, Noel (1996). The Pictorial Guide to the Living Primates, p.47. 
  3. ^ Palmer, Jane (2008-02-21). Henry Doorly Zoo scientists identify two new lemur species. Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved on 2008-02-24.

[edit] External links

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