Collared Brown Lemur
Encyclopedia
The collared brown lemur (Eulemur collaris), also known as the red-collared brown lemur or red-collared lemur, is a medium-sized strepsirrhine
primate
and one of twelve species of brown lemur in the Lemuridae
family. It is only found in south-eastern Madagascar
. Like most species of lemur
, it is arboreal, moving quadruped
ally and occasionally leaping from tree to tree. Like other brown lemurs, it lives in social groups, primarily eats fruit, is active both day and night, exhibits sexual dichromatism, and does not demonstrate female dominance
. The species is listed as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and is threatened primarily by habitat loss
.
belonging to the family Lemuridae
. Collectively, lemurs (infraorder Lemuriformes) are classified as strepsirrhine
primate
s. Originally listed as a subspecies of the common brown lemur
(E. fulvus), the collared brown lemur was promoted to full species status in 2001 by biological anthropologist
Colin Groves
.
exhibited by the collared brown lemur is dichromatism. The following table illustrates the coloration differences between the sexes:
In the wild, the collared brown lemur's range does not overlap with other brown lemurs, so it is rarely confused with other species. However, in captivity it can be easily confused with the gray-headed lemur
(Eulemur cinereiceps) due to similar coloration. The male collared brown lemur can be distinguished by their cream-colored or rufous beards, whereas the male gray-headed lemur has a white beard. Females of these two species are nearly indistinguishable, even though genetic analyses support full species status for both taxa.
and in the south from Tôlanaro
north to the Mananara River. The Mananara River is the boundary between the ranges of the collared brown lemur and the Gray-headed Lemur to the north. The collared brown lemur can be seen in the Mandena Conservation Zone, Saint Luce Private Reserve, and Andohahela National Park
.
In its environment, the collared brown lemur acts as a seed disperser
, and is especially critical for the dispersal of large-seeded fruiting trees within its range. However, there is no evidence that these relationships are coevolutionary and instead these lemurs may be the last remaining seed dispersers for these tree species following the extinction of larger frugivorous
birds and subfossil lemur
s.
(active both day and night throughout the year), a trait seen in some other members of its genus. Research has suggested that metabolic dietary-related needs are the leading factor behind this behavior, although the specific hours of this activity pattern can shift based on lunar
luminosity
and seasonal changes in the photoperiod
(day length). Previous studies had ruled out effects of predators on the expression of this trait, and instead pointed to fruit availability and fiber intake as more important factors.
The collared brown lemur tends to live in social groups that are multi-male/multi-female, with groups ranging in size from three to seven. Population densities are estimated at 14 individuals/km2, and it appears to be common within its range. Females give birth to one offspring between October and December, and male involvement with the young has been observed. Female dominance
, a common behavioral trait in many lemur species but uncommon in most true lemurs, has not been observed in this species.
Brown lemurs at Berenty (hybrid E. fulvus x collaris) show linear hierarchy, adult female dominance, and the presence of conciliatory behavior after aggressions. Additionally, stress levels (measured via self-directed behaviors) decrease at the increase of the hierarchical position of individuals within the social group and reconciliation is able to bring stress down to the baseline levels.
The collared brown lemur was listed as Vulnerable (VU A2cd) in the 2008 IUCN Red List assessment. Its greatest threat is habitat loss
from slash-and-burn agriculture
and charcoal
production. It is also hunted for food and captured for the local pet trade. Populations of the collared brown lemur have been successfully sustained in captivity as a safeguard against their extinction.
A small group of collared brown lemurs was introduced in the 1980s into the Berenty Private Reserve
and has since hybridized with introduced
red-fronted lemur
s.
Strepsirrhini
The clade Strepsirrhini is one of the two suborders of primates. Madagascar's only non-human primates are strepsirrhines, and others can be found in southeast Asia and Africa...
primate
Primate
A primate is a mammal of the order Primates , which contains prosimians and simians. Primates arose from ancestors that lived in the trees of tropical forests; many primate characteristics represent adaptations to life in this challenging three-dimensional environment...
and one of twelve species of brown lemur in the Lemuridae
Lemuridae
Lemuridae is a family of prosimian primates native to Madagascar, and one of five families commonly known as lemurs. These animals were thought to be the evolutionary predecessors of monkeys and apes, but this is no longer considered correct...
family. It is only found in south-eastern Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
. Like most species of lemur
Lemur
Lemurs are a clade of strepsirrhine primates endemic to the island of Madagascar. They are named after the lemures of Roman mythology due to the ghostly vocalizations, reflective eyes, and the nocturnal habits of some species...
, it is arboreal, moving quadruped
Quadruped
Quadrupedalism is a form of land animal locomotion using four limbs or legs. An animal or machine that usually moves in a quadrupedal manner is known as a quadruped, meaning "four feet"...
ally and occasionally leaping from tree to tree. Like other brown lemurs, it lives in social groups, primarily eats fruit, is active both day and night, exhibits sexual dichromatism, and does not demonstrate female dominance
Matriarchy
A matriarchy is a society in which females, especially mothers, have the central roles of political leadership and moral authority. It is also sometimes called a gynocratic or gynocentric society....
. The species is listed as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and is threatened primarily by habitat loss
Habitat destruction
Habitat destruction is the process in which natural habitat is rendered functionally unable to support the species present. In this process, the organisms that previously used the site are displaced or destroyed, reducing biodiversity. Habitat destruction by human activity mainly for the purpose of...
.
Taxonomy
Together with the twelve other true lemurs (genus Eulemur), the collared brown lemur (E. collaris) is a type of lemurLemur
Lemurs are a clade of strepsirrhine primates endemic to the island of Madagascar. They are named after the lemures of Roman mythology due to the ghostly vocalizations, reflective eyes, and the nocturnal habits of some species...
belonging to the family Lemuridae
Lemuridae
Lemuridae is a family of prosimian primates native to Madagascar, and one of five families commonly known as lemurs. These animals were thought to be the evolutionary predecessors of monkeys and apes, but this is no longer considered correct...
. Collectively, lemurs (infraorder Lemuriformes) are classified as strepsirrhine
Strepsirrhini
The clade Strepsirrhini is one of the two suborders of primates. Madagascar's only non-human primates are strepsirrhines, and others can be found in southeast Asia and Africa...
primate
Primate
A primate is a mammal of the order Primates , which contains prosimians and simians. Primates arose from ancestors that lived in the trees of tropical forests; many primate characteristics represent adaptations to life in this challenging three-dimensional environment...
s. Originally listed as a subspecies of the common brown lemur
Common Brown Lemur
The common brown lemur , or brown lemur, is a species of lemur in the Lemuridae family. It is found in Madagascar and Mayotte.-Range:...
(E. fulvus), the collared brown lemur was promoted to full species status in 2001 by biological anthropologist
Biological anthropology
Biological anthropology is that branch of anthropology that studies the physical development of the human species. It plays an important part in paleoanthropology and in forensic anthropology...
Colin Groves
Colin Groves
Colin Peter Groves is Professor of Biological Anthropology at the Australian National University in Canberra, Australia.Born in England on 24 June 1942, Colin Groves completed a Bachelor of Science at University College London in 1963, and a Doctor of Philosophy at the Royal Free Hospital School of...
.
Anatomy and physiology
An adult collared brown lemur can reach a head-body length of 39 and 40 cm (15.4 and 15.7 in) and have a tail length of 50 and 55 cm (19.7 and 21.7 in) for an overall length of 89 and 95 cm (35 and 37.4 in). It has an average body weight of 2.25 and 2.5 kg (5 and 5.5 lb), making it a medium-sized lemur. The only form of sexual dimorphismSexual dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism is a phenotypic difference between males and females of the same species. Examples of such differences include differences in morphology, ornamentation, and behavior.-Examples:-Ornamentation / coloration:...
exhibited by the collared brown lemur is dichromatism. The following table illustrates the coloration differences between the sexes:
| Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|
| Dorsal coat | Brownish-gray | Browner and more rufous than the male's |
| Ventral coat | Paler gray | Pale creamy-gray |
| Tail | Darker gray with a dark stripe along the spine | Same as dorsal coat |
| Face and head | Muzzle, face and crown are dark gray to black; creamy to gray-colored eyebrow patches vary between individuals | Gray, with faint gray stripe extending over crown |
| Cheeks | Creamy to rufous-brown cheeks and beard are thick and bushy | Rufous-brown, but less prominent than the male's |
| Eyes | orange-red | orange-red |
In the wild, the collared brown lemur's range does not overlap with other brown lemurs, so it is rarely confused with other species. However, in captivity it can be easily confused with the gray-headed lemur
Gray-headed Lemur
The gray-headed lemur , or gray-headed brown lemur, is a medium-sized primate, a cathemeral species of lemur in the Lemuridae family. Until a taxonomic revision in 2008, it was known as the white-collared brown lemur or white-collared lemur . It lives in south-eastern Madagascar...
(Eulemur cinereiceps) due to similar coloration. The male collared brown lemur can be distinguished by their cream-colored or rufous beards, whereas the male gray-headed lemur has a white beard. Females of these two species are nearly indistinguishable, even though genetic analyses support full species status for both taxa.
Ecology
Found in tropical moist lowland and montane forests in southeastern Madagascar, the collared brown lemur occurs west to the forests of KalambatritraKalambatritra Reserve
Kalambatritra Reserve is a wildlife reserve of Madagascar.-References:...
and in the south from Tôlanaro
Tôlanaro
Tôlanaro or Tolagnaro is a city in Madagascar. It is the capital of Anosy Region and of Tôlanaro District. It has a port of local importance, and a new port has been built at Ehoala...
north to the Mananara River. The Mananara River is the boundary between the ranges of the collared brown lemur and the Gray-headed Lemur to the north. The collared brown lemur can be seen in the Mandena Conservation Zone, Saint Luce Private Reserve, and Andohahela National Park
Andohahela National Park
Andohahela National Park, in southeast Madagascar, is remarkable for the extremes of habitats that are representened within it. The park covers 760 square kilometers of the Anosy mountain range, the southernmost spur of the Malagasy Highlands...
.
In its environment, the collared brown lemur acts as a seed disperser
Seed dispersal
Seed dispersal is the movement or transport of seeds away from the parent plant. Plants have limited mobility and consequently rely upon a variety of dispersal vectors to transport their propagules, including both abiotic and biotic vectors. Seeds can be dispersed away from the parent plant...
, and is especially critical for the dispersal of large-seeded fruiting trees within its range. However, there is no evidence that these relationships are coevolutionary and instead these lemurs may be the last remaining seed dispersers for these tree species following the extinction of larger frugivorous
Frugivore
A frugivore is a fruit eater. It can be any type of herbivore or omnivore where fruit is a preferred food type. Because approximately 20% of all mammalian herbivores also eat fruit, frugivory is considered to be common among mammals. Since frugivores eat a lot of fruit they are highly dependent...
birds and subfossil lemur
Subfossil lemur
Subfossil lemurs are lemurs from Madagascar that are represented by recent remains dating from nearly 26,000 years ago to approximately 560 years ago. They include both living and extinct species, although the term more frequently refers to the extinct giant lemurs...
s.
Behavior
Very little is known about this species. It is thought to primarily eat fruit, like most other true lemurs. It is also cathemeralCathemeral
A cathemeral organism is one that has sporadic and random intervals of activity during the day or night in which food is acquired, socializing with other organisms occurs, and any other activities necessary for livelihood are performed...
(active both day and night throughout the year), a trait seen in some other members of its genus. Research has suggested that metabolic dietary-related needs are the leading factor behind this behavior, although the specific hours of this activity pattern can shift based on lunar
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
luminosity
Luminosity
Luminosity is a measurement of brightness.-In photometry and color imaging:In photometry, luminosity is sometimes incorrectly used to refer to luminance, which is the density of luminous intensity in a given direction. The SI unit for luminance is candela per square metre.The luminosity function...
and seasonal changes in the photoperiod
Photoperiodism
Photoperiodism is the physiological reaction of organisms to the length of day or night. It occurs in plants and animals.Photoperiodism can also be defined as the developmental responses of plants to the relative lengths of the light and dark periods...
(day length). Previous studies had ruled out effects of predators on the expression of this trait, and instead pointed to fruit availability and fiber intake as more important factors.
The collared brown lemur tends to live in social groups that are multi-male/multi-female, with groups ranging in size from three to seven. Population densities are estimated at 14 individuals/km2, and it appears to be common within its range. Females give birth to one offspring between October and December, and male involvement with the young has been observed. Female dominance
Matriarchy
A matriarchy is a society in which females, especially mothers, have the central roles of political leadership and moral authority. It is also sometimes called a gynocratic or gynocentric society....
, a common behavioral trait in many lemur species but uncommon in most true lemurs, has not been observed in this species.
Brown lemurs at Berenty (hybrid E. fulvus x collaris) show linear hierarchy, adult female dominance, and the presence of conciliatory behavior after aggressions. Additionally, stress levels (measured via self-directed behaviors) decrease at the increase of the hierarchical position of individuals within the social group and reconciliation is able to bring stress down to the baseline levels.
Conservation status
Habitat destruction
Habitat destruction is the process in which natural habitat is rendered functionally unable to support the species present. In this process, the organisms that previously used the site are displaced or destroyed, reducing biodiversity. Habitat destruction by human activity mainly for the purpose of...
from slash-and-burn agriculture
Slash and burn
Slash-and-burn is an agricultural technique which involves cutting and burning of forests or woodlands to create fields. It is subsistence agriculture that typically uses little technology or other tools. It is typically part of shifting cultivation agriculture, and of transhumance livestock...
and charcoal
Charcoal
Charcoal is the dark grey residue consisting of carbon, and any remaining ash, obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances. Charcoal is usually produced by slow pyrolysis, the heating of wood or other substances in the absence of oxygen...
production. It is also hunted for food and captured for the local pet trade. Populations of the collared brown lemur have been successfully sustained in captivity as a safeguard against their extinction.
A small group of collared brown lemurs was introduced in the 1980s into the Berenty Private Reserve
Berenty Reserve
Berenty Reserve is a small private reserve of gallery forest along the Mandrake river, set in the semi-arid spiny forest ecoregion of the far south of Madagascar. For more than three decades the primatologist Alison Jolly , researchers and students have visited Berenty to conduct fieldwork on lemurs...
and has since hybridized with introduced
Introduced species
An introduced species — or neozoon, alien, exotic, non-indigenous, or non-native species, or simply an introduction, is a species living outside its indigenous or native distributional range, and has arrived in an ecosystem or plant community by human activity, either deliberate or accidental...
red-fronted lemur
Red-fronted Lemur
The red-fronted lemur , also known as the red-fronted brown lemur or southern red-fronted brown lemur, is a species of lemur from Madagascar. Until 2001, it was considered a subspecies of the common brown lemur, E. fulvus. In 2001, E...
s.