Small-toothed Sportive Lemur (Lepilemur microdon)


MORPHOLOGY:
This species has binocular vision. The small-toothed sportive lemur has a large cecum. On the hands and feet are large digital pads used for clinging. Overall this species is red-brown with a dark mid-dorsal line and is yellowish-buff colored laterally and ventrally (Harcourt and Thornback, 1990). The distal part of the tail is dark brown (Harcourt and Thornback, 1990). This species has an average body mass of around 1 kilogram (Harcourt and Thornback, 1990).

RANGE:
The small-toothed sportive lemur is found in the country of Madagascar. This species is found in the south and central areas of the Eastern rainforest (Harcourt and Thornback, 1990).

ECOLOGY:
The small-toothed sportive lemur is primarily a folivorous species, but also will eat a small amount of fruits and flowers to supplement the diet. This species is also a cecotroph, which means it redigests its feces; it does this to help break down the cellulose in the leaves. This is an arboreal and nocturnal species.

LOCOMOTION:
The small-toothed sportive lemur moves through the forest by vertical clinging and leaping (Fleagle, 1988).

SOCIAL BEHAVIOR:
The small-toothed sportive lemur has a social system where the basic group is composed of the mother and her offspring. The males live solitarily and have home ranges that overlap one or more females. This species has a polygynous mating system. He visits each female during the breeding season. Females will leave their infants on a branch when they forage for food. This is a highly territorial species, males will violently defend their territory (Fleagle, 1988).

VOCAL COMMUNICATION:
loud call: This call is emitted by the adult male and is a crow-like call (Fleagle, 1988). This is used as a territorial call, used to demarcate a male’s territory and to advertise to other males that a male already occupies a certain territory (Fleagle, 1988).

OLFACTORY COMMUNICATION:

VISUAL COMMUNICATION:

TACTILE COMMUNICATION:

REPRODUCTION:
The small-toothed sportive lemur gives birth to a single offspring.

REFERENCES:
Burton, F. 1995. The Multimedia Guide to the Non-human Primates. Prentice-Hall Canada Inc.

Fleagle, J. G. 1988. Primate Adaptation and Evolution. Academic Press.

Harcourt, C. and Thornback, J. 1990. Lemurs of Madagascar and the Comoros. The IUCN Red Data Book> IUCN Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, U.K.

Last Updated: October 9, 2003.
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