Black lemur
Over fifty million years ago, similarly to Darwin’s finches, the ancestors of today’s lemurs were isolated on one of the biggest islands in the world, Madagascar. Isolated from any monkeys or apes and most predators, these lemurs proliferated and diversified, evolving into twenty eight species. However, many of these species have been wiped out by human activity such as deforestation. The black lemur is unique among lemurs in that, males and females are different colors. Its name comes from the coloration of the male, which is uniformly black, while the female is a dark brown to rust color with white undersides. This difference in appearance is so striking that for many years, males and females were thought to be different species. There are taboos against killing them, but as the natural forests are replaced by plantations, this protection disappears. They are poisoned, or shot as pests. Today they are an endangered species and are confined to a small area on Madagascar and two small islands off its northwest coast. On one island they have the benefit of a reserve of natural forest. Black lemurs are legally protected and international trade is strictly controlled, but on those plantations where they flourish their capture for
Known as the black lemur, it is classified under the class of mammalian, in the order of primates, in the family of Lemuridae, under the Genus of Eulemur, under the species of Eulemur macaco, and scientifically named Eulemur macaco macaco. The species Eulemur macaco consists of two subspecies: Eulemur macaco macaco and Eulemur macaco flavifrons (Williams). “In Madagascar, the two subspecies are separated by the Andranomalaza River, but clear separation only occurs in a relatively small area. E. m. macaco can be found to the north of the river and E. m. flavifrons to the south of it” (Davis). The black lemur can only be found at the northwestern tip of Madagascar to two adjacent small islands of Nosy Komba and Nosy Be. Black lemurs are arboreal and they are found in four habitats: primary rain forests, secondary forest, timber plantations and food crop plantations, such as coffee and cashew plantations (Kasnoff). The black lemur is a primitive primate that is about the size of a house-cat. It measures to an overall length from head to tip of tail of about 96cm and weighs about five pounds (Davis). Black lemurs have eyes in front of their heads and are considered among the first animals with stereoscopic vision (Honolulu Zoo). Males and females of this lemur species look very different, due to sexual dimorphism. Males are completely black and females are brownish grey with a grey face framed by spiky white tuffs of hair. They average about 38 inches in length and weigh about five pounds. Black lemurs have long, bushy tails and a fox-like muzzle (Robinson Zoo). Their usual mode of locomotion is quadruped, but they may assume an upright posture and move on their hind legs for brief periods of time. The hind legs are longer than the front legs, and the second toes have strongly curved grooming claws (Honolulu Zoo). In the trees, these lemurs are capable of leaping from branch to branch and can jump up to twenty four feet. Their movements are so quick that they have been compared to the flight of birds. Black lemurs are omnivores, eating
Some topics in this essay:
Madagascar Isolated,
Packet Territorial,
Ranomafana Park,
Packet Females,
Francisco Zoo,
Packet Black,
Honolulu Zoo,
Davis Sexual,
Nosy Black,
Zoo Males,
black lemurs,
black lemur,
eulemur macaco,
males females,
lemur packet,
eulemur macaco macaco,
unique lemurs,
species eulemur,
local people,
remaining virgin,
davis black,
species eulemur macaco,
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Approximate Word count = 1385
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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