Our guide Goulam, of Goulam's Lodge at Réserve Spéciale de l'Ankárana was
invaluable in helping us spot the animals and tell of their habits.
Northern Sportive Lemur in its tree home
Early Arab traders to Madagascar wrote of strange furred animals
that flew and their giant cousins whose meat they found delicious. Sadly, these
explorers were the last humans to see either the flying lemur or the giant lemur
alive, having hunted them into extinction. All we can thank those
explorers for is the name "lemur" which comes from Latin and means "ghost"
referring, probably, to the lemurs' ability to move silently and quickly through
the forest in and out of view. Today, there are 31 remaining live lemur
species, many of which are also endangered as their habitat is destroyed and/or
they are taken for food or the illegal pet trade. Fossil records show that as
many as 17 lemur species became extinct in the past 1,000 years.
A male Sanford's Lemur with black mask
Lemurs are Primates, but unlike apes and monkeys they are
classed in the Suborder Prosimian which includes other tropical animals such as
the lorises and tarsiers. Lemurs had a chance to diversify and develop for
80 to 100 million years in isolation on the island of Madagascar. They have less
developed brains than monkeys (which evolved much more recently) and although
they have long tails, these are not prehensile like those of the monkeys, i.e.
lemurs cannot wrap their tails around branches and use them like extra arms and
legs. It is lucky for the lemurs of Madagascar that monkeys were not able
to cross the Mozambique Channel to the big red island, for monkeys are far more
intelligent and aggressive and would have destroyed the chances of lemurs
surviving. Fossil evidence has shown that this has happened on both Africa
and Asia in the distant past -- the more recently developed monkeys competing
for the same resources as the lemurs led to the extinction of those lemurs.
Today's living lemurs are divided into three families: Lemuridae
which includes the typical lemurs and the mouse-lemurs; Daubentonidae
includes only the aye-aye which is an elusive and rarely seen lemur; and
Indridae which includes the indris and sifakas.
High in the forest of Montagne d'Ambre in northern Madagascar we
spotted a group of lemurs. Photography is difficult in the low afternoon
light of dense rainforest, but Amanda was able to crank the ISO on our
digital Canon up to 1,600 to capture this individual who was exposed on a tree
branch.
This is probably a female Sanford's LemurEulemur
Sanfordi with the all black face. (Notice her tail wrapped around
her neck like a fur scarf!) Male Sanford's Lemurs have black nose
and eyes, with white ruff and ears (see photo above, on this page).
Sanford's are medium sized lemurs, with bodies of 38‑40 cm (15‑16") and
tails an additional 50‑55 cm (20‑22") but weighing only 1.8 kg
(4 lbs). They live in groups of up to 15 animals and only in northern Madagascar
from sea level to 1,400 meters (4,600 feet). Gestation is 120 days, with
births in September and October. Like most other Lemuridae they eat
fruits, flowers and other plant parts like buds. They also sometimes eat
spiders and millipedes. They are endangered due to loss of habitat to
logging and mining and being taken illegally as pets.
This male Crowned LemurEulemur coronatus found us
just as interesting as we found him, high in his tree in Réserve Spéciale de l'Ankárana
in north central Madagascar. These animals are gray-brown with brown and
white faces. They get their name from the black crown on the male.
Of the Eulemur genus, the coronatus is the smallest, weighing
only 1.2 kg (2.6 lbs) with a 35 cm (14 in) body and a tail of
41‑49 cm (16‑19 in). Crowned Lemurs are “cathemeral” meaning
they are active both day and night. They eat fruit, leaves, pollen and sometimes insects.
These lemurs live from sea level to 1,400 meters (4,600 feet) and are the only
lemur to live in the very far north of Madagascar on the Cap d'Ambre
Peninsula. Their habitat is varied, from arid hills to moist
rainforest. Living in groups of 5‑15 individuals, they have a
dominant female, like most other lemur groups.
In the wet season, December to May, they are often found mixed with
groups of Sanford Lemurs. We found this to be true even in
mid‑October. The easiest way to tell the 2 lemur species apart when they
are frolicking through the trees is that only the Sanfords have white
ear tufts and black faces.
The nocturnal Ankárana Sportive LemurLepilemur
ankaranensis seemed surprisingly alert even during the early morning
hours as we hiked through Réserve Spéciale de l'Ankárana in northern
Madagascar. This is one of the smallest of the sportive lemurs with an
average body size of 28 cm (11") and a tail of 25 cm (10").
They weigh less than 1kg (2.2 lbs). They have prominent ears and are light
gray-brown, with gray back and pale belly. They tend to keep a
very vertical posture (very koala-like!) except when curled in their
holes in the trees where they sleep. The field guides say that
they are very active and acrobatic but that must be at night, when they
are truly awake. We mainly saw them in their holes or clinging
quietly to a tree trunk. But even though they are active, they
still only range over an area of about 1 hectare. They are found
in dry lowland forests such as Réserve Spéciale de l'Ankárana and also
the moist forest of Montagne d’Ambre, both in northern Madagascar.
The Ankárana Sportive Lemurs are prey to Madagascar ground boa
constrictors which hunt them in their sleeping sites in trees. This
lemur's habitat is threatened by charcoal production (cutting the forest
and burning) and from hunting (they are taken by humans for food).
The Ruffed LemurVarecia variegata wears a stunning
coat of white and black, with white fringe (tufts) around the black
face. With its relatively long snout it is able to retrieve nectar
from flowers. This diurnal (day-active) lemur is 45‑55 cm (18‑22")
with a 60‑65 cm (23‑25") tail. It can be seen at Réserve de Nosy
Mangabe in lowland, eastern Madagascar. (Photo courtesy of French friends)
In the forests of northeastern Madagascar live the White Fronted
Brown LemursEulemur fulvus albifrons, a subspecies of the
Brown Lemur. The male of this species has a white head with fluffy
cheeks and a black muzzle. The female (right) has gray to dark
brown chest and belly, with a brown back and dark gray head and muzzle.
These lemurs are about 40‑43 cm (16‑17") with a 50‑55 cm (20‑22") tail.
They are arboreal and eat primarily fruit. (Photo courtesy of
French friends)
Beautiful and tragic at the same time -- we found this male Black
LemurEulemur macaco (left) held as a pet in a home in Honey
River, on the west coast of Madagascar. Black lemurs show great sexual
dimorphism (meaning the males and females look different). Males, such
as this one are all black or very dark brown with bright orange‑red eyes.
Females (right) have a more chestnut coloration, with a dark gray face, and,
most distinctive, they have fluffy white ear and cheek tufts, which fade to
ginger color on the cheeks. These lemurs live in northwestern
Madagascar on the mainland, and also on the islands of Nosy Be and Nosy
Komba. On Nosy Be they live in a protected park, Réserve Spéciale de
Lokobe, and on neighboring Nosy Komba they are protected by the villagers
who have a taboo ("fady") against harming or capturing them. Black
Lemurs are fairly large, measuring about 90‑110 cm (35‑43") with tails that
add another 55‑65 cm (22‑26"). They are endangered due to habitat loss
and capture for the pet trade.
The Northern Brown Mouse LemurMicrocebus tavarata is
one of the smallest lemurs of Madagascar. It weighs only about 50 grams.
Its body is 12‑14 cm (4.5‑5.5") with 15 cm (6") tail.
It is found in the north of Madagascar in arid deciduous forest and
limestone pinnacles (tsingy) such as in Réserve Spéciale de l'Ankárana where
we photographed this one. Their habitat is threatened by illegal
logging, sapphire mining, brush fires and deforestation for charcoal
production.
To spot a nocturnal lemur you hold a flashlight (torch) at
your eye level and shine it around through the bushes. The large
eyes of the lemur will shine back at you, as they do in this flash
photo.
Fluffy, big, and bright-eyed, 2 IndriIndri
indri peer out of their protective branches. Members of the
family Indriidae, the Indris are distinctive with their black and white
fur, tiny tails, and black faces. They are the largest living lemur, at
64‑90 cm (2‑3 feet) with a very small (5 cm or 2")
tail. They live on plant parts such as leaves and buds, and sometimes fruits
and flowers. They are capable of jumping vertically 10 meters
(33 feet) up into the trees. Indri are diurnal (active in the day)
and are best seen in northeastern Madagascar, especially at Parc
National d'Andasibe-Mantadia. Their habitat is declining due to
agriculture, burning and general deforestation. (Photo courtesy of
French friends)
Brilliant against the green trees and blue sky,
Coquerel's SifakaPropithecus verreauxi coquereli live in
northwestern Madagascar. These sifakas are unmistakable with their
pure white bodies offset with deep maroon thigh, arm and check patches.
Sifakas change their diet to match the season, eating mainly mature
leaves and buds in the dry season, and young leaves, fruits and flowers
in the wet season. They are primarily arboreal. Habitat
destruction endangers them, as well as hunting. They measure
90‑110 cm (35‑43"), including a 50‑60 cm
(20‑24") tail. (Photo courtesy of French friends)