Collared Lemur: Characteristics, Behavior And Habitat
The black and white collared lemur, also known as the black and white ruffled lemur, is an endangered species of lemur. Lemurs are a group of animals that include more than one hundred species of primates.
Characteristics of the collared lemur
The collared lemur is considered to be one of the largest lemurs. This, however, does not mean that it is the largest of the living lemurs, as there are several families that are part of the Madagascar lemurs.
This primate reaches 120 centimeters and can exceed four kilograms in weight. This means that it can weigh twice as much as a ring-tailed lemur, which is the most represented species.
Its reproductive characteristics are very curious and similar to those of the small nocturnal lemurs: numerous litters, short gestation time and the early reaching of maturity. Compared to other species that normally have one or at most two cubs, the collared lemur can have litters of six.
Behavior of the Collared Lemur
The collared lemur is an arboreal and diurnal animal. Like many primates, he spends most of the day in the treetops in the eastern part of the island of Madagascar. This animal is one of the most frugivorous lemurs and, in addition to fruit, it also feeds on nectar and flowers.
Its diet can consist of 92% fruit, although this depends on the season of the year. Females have been found to consume more than males during the dry season, especially when they are gestating, when they consume more leaves and flowers.
As with other lemurs, the black and white collared lemur is one of the species in which females command. Generally, they are the ones who win the fights against the male specimens; which is important because, as we said earlier, they consume more food. In fact, females have more need than males to control food resources. The various groups adapt to the resources present in the territory in which they live and it has been seen that in areas with few resources the group can be divided and then reunited.
As far as communication is concerned, these animals use a series of curious and very powerful calls that, among the primates, are only surpassed by the howler monkey. Black and white collared lemurs use these calls to communicate their movements and the presence of predators.
Habitat and conservation
Like the rest of the lemurs, these animals live in Madagascar. Sometimes, it is not thought that on this island there are many lemurs that reach 100 species. This means that there are nocturnal, terrestrial lemurs, which live in arid areas or in lush forests.
It is an endangered species. In the last 27 years the population has decreased by 80%. Although among their main predators is the pit, the main threat to this species is represented by deforestation and hunting. Attempts have been made to breed black and white collared lemurs in captivity, but once reintroduced to the wild they were easily hunted from pits.
