The crowned lemur (''Eulemur coronatus'') is a
lemur
Lemurs ( ) (from Latin ''lemures'' – ghosts or spirits) are Strepsirrhini, wet-nosed primates of the Superfamily (biology), superfamily Lemuroidea (), divided into 8 Family (biology), families and consisting of 15 genera and around 100 exist ...
that is long and weighs . Its tail is about long.
Description
The crowned lemur is endemic to the dry deciduous
forest
A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...
s of the northern tip of
Madagascar
Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...
.
It eats a diet of mostly flowers, fruits, and leaves. The population is estimated to 1000–10,000 individuals as of 2004, most of which live within the
Ankarana Plateau
Ankarana Special Reserve in northern Madagascar was created in 1956. It is a small, partially vegetated plateau composed of 150-million-year-old middle Jurassic limestone. With an average annual rainfall of about , the underlying rocks have been e ...
, although there is also a population on the Montagne d'Ambre. This species has a distinctive brown-orange crown on the top of the head. Females have a gray body with an orange crown, and males are a darker reddish brown, crowned with black and orange.
Crowned lemurs have a life span of approximately 20 years and reach sexual maturity after 20 months. They give birth usually in late September or early October, after a gestation period of 125 days.
The crowned lemur is in the order of Primates as it possesses characteristics such as pseudo-opposable thumbs, binocular vision and is highly intelligent. ''E. coronatus'' shares with others of the family
Lemuridae
Lemuridae is a family of strepsirrhine primates native to Madagascar and the Comoros. They are represented by the Lemuriformes in Madagascar with one of the highest concentration of the lemurs. One of five families commonly known as lemurs. Thes ...
long and slender limbs, a slightly longer nose, a smaller brain and a 'grooming comb' formed by the incisors and canine teeth.
The crowned lemur possesses a long non-
prehensile
Prehensility is the quality of an appendage or organ (anatomy), organ that has Adaptation (biology), adapted for grasping or holding. The word is derived from the Latin term ''prehendere'', meaning "to grasp". The ability to grasp is likely der ...
tail used for balance when jumping from branch to branch and for
communication
Communication (from la, communicare, meaning "to share" or "to be in relation with") is usually defined as the transmission of information. The term may also refer to the message communicated through such transmissions or the field of inquir ...
within the closely knit, female-led social group.
This member of the genus ''Eulemur'' is primarily
diurnal but has periods of feeding activity at night too.
Geographic range
''Eulemur coronatus'' is thought to live exclusively in the northern region of Madagascar, ranging from the northernmost tip of the island, on the Cap d'Ambre Peninsula, extending south to the east bank of the
Mahavavy River
The Mahavavy or Mahavavy-Nord River is a river of northern Madagascar in the region of Diana. It has its sources at the Maromokotra peak in the Tsaratanana Massif and flows north to the Indian Ocean. The main city along the river is Ambilobe.
...
. Its range extends east, to the north of Sambava along the banks of the Manambato River.
Habitat
''E. coronatus'' can be found anywhere in the tropical dry forests of the
Ankarana Reserve
Ankarana Special Reserve in northern Madagascar was created in 1956. It is a small, partially vegetated plateau composed of 150-million-year-old middle Jurassic limestone. With an average annual rainfall of about , the underlying rocks have been e ...
to the mid-altitude rainforests of Montagne d'Ambre. They can be found at altitudes between sea level and . Crowned lemurs live in sympatry with the ''
Eulemur sanfordi
Sanford's brown lemur (''Eulemur sanfordi''), or Sanford's lemur, is a species of strepsirrhine primate in the family Lemuridae. Sanford's brown lemur was previously considered a subspecies of the common brown lemur (''Eulemur fulvus'') but was r ...
'' (Sanford's brown lemur), sharing the same habitat. Sanford's brown lemurs are distinguishable by color as they are more gray and brown with no v-shaped crown on their forehead. The male Sanford lemur also have characteristic white ruffs around their ears and cheeks that are absent from the crowned lemurs.
The crowned lemurs of Ankarana Reserve are the only lemurs in this region known to traverse the razor-sharp ''tsingy'' (the eroded limestone rock that is characteristic of this national park) as they head into the forest early in the morning and as they leave the forest just before sunset to settle in the safer canyon forest in the center of these rock fields for the night.
References
External links
*ARKive –
images and movies of the crowned lemur ''(Eulemur coronatus)''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q151910
True lemurs
Mammals described in 1842
Taxa named by John Edward Gray