The Cheirogaleidae are the family of strepsirrhineprimates containing the various dwarf and mouse lemurs. Like all other lemurs, cheirogaleids live exclusively on the island of Madagascar.
Characteristics
Cheirogaleids are smaller than the other lemurs and, in fact, they are the smallest primates. They have soft, long fur, colored grey-brown to reddish on top, with a generally brighter underbelly. Typically, they have small ears, large, close-set eyes, and long hind legs. Like all strepsirrhines, they have fine claws at the second toe of the hind legs. They grow to a size of only 13 to 28 cm, with a tail that is very long, sometimes up to one and a half times as long as the body. They weigh no more than 500 grams, with some species weighing as little as 60 grams.
Dwarf and mouse lemurs are
nocturnal
Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnal meaning the opposite.
Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed sens ...
and arboreal. They are excellent climbers and can also jump far, using their long tails for balance. When on the ground (a rare occurrence), they move by hopping on their hind legs. They spend the day in tree hollows or leaf nests. Cheirogaleids are typically solitary, but sometimes live together in pairs.
Their eyes possess a tapetum lucidum, a light-reflecting layer that improves their night vision. Some species, such as the
lesser 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 ...
, store fat at the hind legs and the base of the tail, and hibernate. Unlike lemurids, they have long upper incisors, although they do have the comb-like teeth typical of all strepsirhines. They have the dental formula:
Cheirogaleids are
omnivore
An omnivore () is an animal that has the ability to eat and survive on both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and animal matter, omnivores digest carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fiber, and metabolize the nutr ...
s, eating fruits, flowers and leaves (and sometimes nectar), as well as insects, spiders, and small vertebrates.
The females usually have three pairs of nipples. After a meager 60-day gestation, they will bear two to four (usually two or three) young. After five to six weeks, the young are weaned and become fully mature near the end of their first year or sometime in their second year, depending on the species. In human care, they can live for up to 15 years, although their life expectancy in the wild is probably significantly shorter.
Classification
The five
genera
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...
of cheirogaleids contain 42 species.
* Infraorder Lemuriformes
** Family Cheirogaleidae
*** Genus ''
Cheirogaleus
The dwarf lemurs are the lemurs of the genus ''Cheirogaleus''. All of the species in this genus, like all other lemurs, are native to Madagascar.
Description
Measuring 19–27 cm in body length with a tail about 16–17 cm, they ar ...
'': dwarf lemurs
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Montagne d'Ambre dwarf lemur
The Montagne d'Ambre dwarf lemur or Andy Sabin's dwarf lemur (''Cheirogaleus andysabini'') is a species of dwarf lemur known only from Amber Mountain National Park and the surrounding area in northern Madagascar. It was identified in 2005, bu ...
Cheirogaleus crossleyi
The furry-eared dwarf lemur (''Cheirogaleus crossleyi''), or Crossley's dwarf lemur, only found on the island of Madagascar, as with all other lemurs. It has a pelage
Fur is a thick growth of hair that covers the skin of mammals. It consists ...
Cheirogaleus lavasoensis
The Lavasoa dwarf lemur (''Cheirogaleus lavasoensis'') is a small, nocturnal strepsirrhine primate and a species of lemur that is endemic to three small, isolated patches of forest on the southern slopes of the Lavasoa Mountains in southern Madaga ...
Ankarana dwarf lemur
The Ankarana dwarf lemur or Sheth's dwarf lemur (''Cheirogaleus shethi'') is a species of dwarf lemur, part of the ''C. medius'' group, known only from northern Madagascar. It has been found in two reserves (Ankarana Special Reserve and Analamera ...
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Cheirogaleus shethi
The Ankarana dwarf lemur or Sheth's dwarf lemur (''Cheirogaleus shethi'') is a species of dwarf lemur, part of the ''C. medius'' group, known only from northern Madagascar. It has been found in two reserves (Ankarana Special Reserve and Analamera ...
Cheirogaleus thomasi
The Thomas' dwarf lemur (''Cheirogaleus thomasi'') is a species of dwarf lemur known only from Anosy, Madagascar. It lives in forest
A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the ...
Arnhold's mouse lemur
Arnhold's mouse lemur or the Montagne d'Ambre mouse lemur (''Microcebus arnholdi'') is a species of mouse lemur endemic to Madagascar. Its holotype was first collected on 27 November 2005, and was first described in 2008. According to genetic t ...
Bongolava mouse lemur
The Bongolava mouse lemur (''Microcebus bongolavensis'') is a species of mouse lemur endemic to Madagascar. It lives in western deciduous forest within a limited range, including Bongolava Forest and Ambodimahabibo Forest between the Sofia Riv ...
''
Microcebus bongolavensis
The Bongolava mouse lemur (''Microcebus bongolavensis'') is a species of mouse lemur endemic to Madagascar. It lives in western deciduous forest within a limited range, including Bongolava Forest and Ambodimahabibo Forest between the Sofia Ri ...
Microcebus boraha
The Nosy Boraha mouse lemur (''Microcebus boraha'') is a species of mouse lemur described in 2016 from Madagascar. It was discovered by a team of researchers at the German Primate Center. It was initially discovered among closely related species ...
Microcebus danfossi
Danfoss's mouse lemur (''Microcebus danfossi''), or the Ambarijeby mouse lemur, is a species of mouse lemur endemic to Madagascar. It lives in western deciduous forest within a limited range between the Sofia River and the Maevarano River. This ...
Microcebus gerpi
Gerp's mouse lemur (''Microcebus gerpi'') is a species of mouse lemur known only from the Sahafina Forest in eastern Madagascar, near Mantadia National Park. Its discovery was announced in 2012 by a German and Malagasy research team. The Saha ...
Microcebus griseorufus
The reddish-gray mouse lemur (''Microcebus griseorufus'') also known as the gray-brown mouse lemur or rufous-gray mouse lemur, is a small, solitary-but-social, nocturnal and omnivorous primate from the Western Madagascar in the region around Be ...
Microcebus jonahi
''Microcebus jonahi'', or Jonah's mouse lemur, is tiny species of primate. It weighs 60 g and has a body length of around 13 cm and its tail measures around 13 cm as well. It is the 25th recognized species of mouse lemur and the ...
Microcebus lehilahytsara
Goodman's mouse lemur (''Microcebus lehilahytsara'') is a species of mouse lemur from the region near Andasibe in eastern Madagascar. The species is named in honor of primatologist Steven M. Goodman. "Lehilahytsara" is a combination of the Mal ...
Microcebus macarthurii
MacArthur's mouse lemur (''Microcebus macarthurii''), or the Anjiahely mouse lemur, is a species of mouse lemur known only from Makira Natural Park in northeastern Madagascar
Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of ...
''
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Claire's mouse lemur
Claire's mouse lemur (''Microcebus mamiratra''), or the Nosy Be mouse lemur, is a newly described species of lemur from the genus of the mouse lemurs (''Microcebus''). It lives on the island Nosy Bé in the Antsiranana province of Madagascar, an ...
, ''
Microcebus mamiratra
Claire's mouse lemur (''Microcebus mamiratra''), or the Nosy Be mouse lemur, is a newly described species of lemur from the genus of the mouse lemurs (''Microcebus''). It lives on the island Nosy Bé in the Antsiranana province of Madagascar, an ...
'', synonymous to ''M. lokobensis''
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Bemanasy mouse lemur
The Bemanasy mouse lemur, ''Microcebus manitatra'', is a species of mouse lemur described in 2016 from Madagascar. It was discovered by a team of researchers at the German Primate Center. It was initially discovered among closely related species ...
, ''
Microcebus manitatra
The Bemanasy mouse lemur, ''Microcebus manitatra'', is a species of mouse lemur described in 2016 from Madagascar. It was discovered by a team of researchers at the German Primate Center. It was initially discovered among closely related species ...
''
****
Margot Marsh's mouse lemur
Margot Marsh's mouse lemur or the Antafondro mouse lemur (''Microcebus margotmarshae'') is a species of mouse lemur endemic to Madagascar. Its holotype was first collected on 21 May 2006, proposed in 2006 by Andriantompohavana ''et al.'', and wa ...
Mittermeier's mouse lemur
Mittermeier's mouse lemur (''Microcebus mittermeieri'') is a species of mouse lemur known only from Anjanaharibe-Sud Special Reserve in Madagascar.
Mittermeier's mouse lemur is one of the smallest mouse lemurs, but is larger than Madame Berthe's ...
, ''
Microcebus mittermeieri
Mittermeier's mouse lemur (''Microcebus mittermeieri'') is a species of mouse lemur known only from Anjanaharibe-Sud Special Reserve in Madagascar.
Mittermeier's mouse lemur is one of the smallest mouse lemurs, but is larger than Madame Berthe ...
Microcebus myoxinus
The pygmy mouse lemur (''Microcebus myoxinus''), also known as Peters' mouse lemur or dormouse lemur, is a primate weighing only ; it is the second smallest of the mouse lemurs. Its dorsal side is a rufous-brown colour, and creamy-white ventrall ...
''
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Golden-brown mouse lemur
The golden-brown mouse lemur (''Microcebus ravelobensis''), also known as the (Lac) Ravelobe mouse lemur, is part of the Cheirogaleidae family, and the smallest species of lemur. It is arboreal, nocturnal and usually social.Myers, P"Cheirogalei ...
, ''
Microcebus ravelobensis
The golden-brown mouse lemur (''Microcebus ravelobensis''), also known as the (Lac) Ravelobe mouse lemur, is part of the Cheirogaleidae family, and the smallest species of lemur. It is arboreal, nocturnal and usually social.Myers, P"Cheirogalei ...
''
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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 russ ...
, ''
Microcebus rufus
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 sambiranensis
The Sambirano mouse lemur (''Microcebus sambiranensis'') is a small, recently discovered primate and like the other mouse lemurs can only be found on the island of Madagascar. The dorsal side is both cinnamon and rufous-cinnamon and is grey ventr ...
''
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Simmons' mouse lemur
Simmons' mouse lemur (''Microcebus simmonsi'') is a species of mouse lemur known only from Betampona Special Reserve, Analalava Special Community Reserve near Foulpointe, and Zahamena National Park in Madagascar.
The species is named in honor of ...
Microcebus tavaratra
The northern rufous mouse lemur (''Microcebus tavaratra''), northern brown mouse lemur, or Tavaratra mouse lemur is found in northern Madagascar from the Ankarana Special Reserve in the west to the Manambato River in the northeast, and up to the ...
Pale fork-marked lemur
The pale fork-marked lemur (''Phaner pallescens''), or western fork-marked lemur, is a species of lemur known from western Madagascar; south of the Fiherenana River to the region of Soalala. It is listed on CITES Appendix I.
References
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Phaner parienti
Pariente's fork-marked lemur (''Phaner parienti''), or the Sambirano fork-marked lemur is a species of lemur endemic to the Sambirano region of north-western Madagascar. This lemur has light brown to gray upperparts, a prominent facial fork and ...
Phaner electromontis
The Amber Mountain fork-marked lemur (''Phaner electromontis''), also known as the Montagne d'Ambre fork-crowned lemur or Tanta, is a small primate, and like the other lemurs, can only be found on the island of Madagascar. The species is named aft ...
''
Footnotes
*According to the letter of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, the correct name for this family should be Microcebidae, but the name Cheirogaleidae has been retained for stability.
*In 2008, 7 new species of ''Microcebus'' were formally recognized, but ''Microcebus lokobensis'' (
Lokobe mouse lemur
Claire's mouse lemur (''Microcebus mamiratra''), or the Nosy Be mouse lemur, is a newly described species of lemur from the genus of the mouse lemurs (''Microcebus''). It lives on the island Nosy Bé in the Antsiranana province of Madagascar, a ...
) was not among the additions, even though it was described in 2006. Therefore, its status as a species is still questionable.