True lemur

True lemurs
Mongoose lemur (Eulemur mongoz)
Conservation status
CITES Appendix I (CITES)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Clade:	Synapsida
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Primates
Suborder:	Strepsirrhini
Family:	Lemuridae
Genus:	Eulemur Simons & Rumpler, 1988
Type species
Lemur mongoz Linnaeus, 1766
Diversity
12 species
File:Eulemur range map.svg
Combined distribution of Eulemur, excluding introductions
Synonyms
Petterus Groves and Eaglen, 1988

True lemurs, also known as brown lemurs, are the lemurs in genus Eulemur. They are medium-sized primates that live exclusively on Madagascar.

The fur of the true lemurs is long and usually reddish-brown. Often there is sexual dimorphism in coloration (sexual dichromatism), such as in the black lemur. True lemurs are from 30 to 50 cm in length, with a tail that is as long or significantly longer than the body. They weigh from two to four kg.

True lemurs are predominantly diurnal forest inhabitants, with some species preferring rain forests, while others live in dry forests. They are skillful climbers and can cross large distances in trees by jumping, using their non-prehensile tails to aid in balancing. When on the ground, they move almost exclusively on all four legs. True lemurs are social animals and live together in groups of two to 15 members.

The diet of the true lemurs is almost exclusively herbivorous: flowers, fruits and leaves. In captivity, they have been shown to also eat insects.

Gestation is 125 days. During the summer or early fall (shortly before the beginning of the rainy season), the females birth their young, usually two offspring. The young clasp firmly to the fur of their mother, then ride on her back when they are older. After about five months they are weaned, and they are fully mature at about 18 months of age. The life expectancy of the true lemurs can be up to 18 years, but this can be longer in captivity.

Classification

• Genus Eulemur
  • Common brown lemur, Eulemur fulvus
  • Sanford's brown lemur, Eulemur sanfordi
  • White-headed lemur, Eulemur albifrons
  • Red lemur, Eulemur rufus
  • Red-fronted lemur, Eulemur rufifrons
  • Collared brown lemur, Eulemur collaris
  • Gray-headed lemur, Eulemur cinereiceps
  • Black lemur, Eulemur macaco
  • Blue-eyed black lemur, Eulemur flavifrons
  • Crowned lemur, Eulemur coronatus
  • Red-bellied lemur, Eulemur rubriventer
  • Mongoose lemur, Eulemur mongoz

Eulemur distribution

250px

Range of the fulvus group: red = E. fulvus, green = E. collaris,

purple = E. rufus, orange = E. cinereiceps,

blue = E. rufifrons, yellow = E. albifrons,

brown = E. sanfordi

250px

Range of the other Eulemur: red = E. rubriventer, green = E. mongoz,

purple = E. coronatus, orange = E. flavifrons,

blue = E. macaco

File:Eulemur Rufus.JPG

Eulemur rufus

External links

• ARKive - images and movies of the collared brown lemur (Eulemur collaris)
• Primate Info Net Eulemur Factsheets

Further reading

• Markolf, M. and P. M. Kappeler. (2013). Phylogeographic analysis of the true lemurs (genus Eulemur) underlines the role of river catchments for the evolution of micro-endemism in Madagascar. Frontiers in Zoology 10:70.