The southern woolly lemur (''Avahi meridionalis''), or southern avahi, has been recently recognized as a separate species of
woolly lemur
The woolly lemurs, also known as avahis or woolly indris, are nine species of strepsirrhine primates in the genus ''Avahi''. Like all other lemurs, they live only on the island of Madagascar.
With a body size of and a weight of , the woolly lem ...
in 2006 by Zaramody ''et al.''
[ It is a nocturnal and pair-living species. Groups can range from 2 (the parental pair only) to 5 individuals (including the offspring of subsequent years).][
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Distribution
The species is restricted to the reserve of Andohahela and the area of Sainte Luce. Further studies are required to determine the exact distribution range and especially the limits with its sister species Peyrieras' woolly lemur
Peyrieras's woolly lemur or Peyrieras's avahi (''Avahi peyrierasi'') is a species of woolly lemur native to southeastern Madagascar
Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, ...
(''A. peyrierasi'').[ In southeastern littoral forests, sympatric lemur species of ''Avahi meridionalis'' are the ]brown mouse lemur
The brown mouse lemur (''Microcebus rufus'') is a small primate, and like the other mouse lemurs can only be found on the island of Madagascar. They are known also as the rufous mouse lemur, eastern rufous mouse lemur, red mouse lemur, or russet ...
(''Microcebus rufus''), the greater dwarf lemur
The greater dwarf lemur (''Cheirogaleus major''), or the Geoffroy's dwarf lemur, is a lemur that is widely distributed over the primary and secondary forests near the eastern coast of Madagascar. They are also found in northern parts of Madagasca ...
(''Cheirogaleus major''), the fat-tailed dwarf lemur
The fat-tailed dwarf lemur (''Cheirogaleus medius''), also known as the lesser dwarf lemur, western fat-tailed dwarf lemur, or spiny forest dwarf lemur, is endemic to Madagascar.
Hibernation
Recent research has shown that ''C. medius'' hibernat ...
''Cheirogaleus medius'' and the collared brown lemur
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 family Lemuridae. It is only found in sout ...
(''Eulemur collaris'') in Sainte Luce Forest,southern lesser bamboo lemur
The southern lesser bamboo lemur (''Hapalemur meridionalis''), also known as the southern bamboo lemur, rusty-gray lesser bamboo lemur, and southern gentle lemur, is a species of bamboo lemur endemic to southern Madagascar.
Taxonomy
It was orig ...
(''Hapalemur meridionalis'') in Mandena Forest.
Description
Dorsal fur is grey-brown toning down to light grey distally, while ventrum is grey. The tail is red-brown and darkens distally. The southern woolly lemur has a mean weight of for females and for males, with a mean head-body length of and for females and males, respectively.[
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Diet
''Avahi meridionalis'' eats leaves (and buds) and, much more rarely, flowers and appears not to base food choice on abundance.[ In Sainte Luce, ''A. meridionalis'' also ate leaves with condensed tannins, alkaloids, and intermediate concentrations of polyphenolics. Contrary to previous studies that considered ''Avahi'' spp. a specialist, ''A. meridionalis'' acted as leaf eating generalists with moderate selectivity, based on nutritional quality and tolerance of a wide array of plant secondary metabolites.][
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Conservation
The southern woolly lemur lives primarily in fragments of south-eastern rain littoral forest of Madagascar (Mandena and Sainte Luce). Degradation level, more than fragment size, seems to affect density and birth rates of the populations of this species.
References
External links
Image of female and youngPrimate Info Net ''Avahi'' Factsheets
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1350349
Mammals described in 2006
Woolly lemurs