Gmelin's Woolly Lemur

Fascinating facts about the Gmelin's Woolly Lemur

• A night-time leaf-muncher that weighs just over a kilogram, the eastern woolly lemur measures 27-29 cm from nose to rump and adds a 33-37 cm tail. Its dense, tightly curled coat gives it an owl-like stare, with large eyes and a small rounded head that hide its ears. This compact size while foraging on young leaves, buds and occasional fruit, a diet that keeps its energy low.
• Monogamy runs in the family: eastern woolly lemurs form lifelong pairs that stay together with their offspring. Breeding peaks from March to May, after which a gestation of roughly 135 days produces babies in August-September. The infant clings crosswise on the mother's front for the first two months, nursing three to four times a day, then gradually shifts to the back and learns to leap by six months.
• These lemurs claim a personal sleeping zone about three metres above the forest floor, preferring dense foliage or sturdy branches. A study found a male spends roughly 40 % of his night time with his mate grooming or resting, and rarely interacts with more than one other individual while sleeping, traveling or grooming.
• Home ranges for eastern woolly lemur families cover just 1 to 2 ha, and these territories do not overlap. In contrast, western relatives can roam up to 4 ha.
• The eastern woolly lemur faces a looming threat: a 2000 study warned that continued forest loss could push the entire population toward endangerment. Deforestation and habitat degradation shrink the wet tropical rainforests they call home.

Sources

Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.

• Wikipedia
• Animal Diversity Web

At a glance

About the Gmelin's Woolly Lemur

In the mist-shrouded forests of Madagascar, the Gmelin's Woolly Lemur weaves a gentle path, its soft, woolly coat a testament to its adaptability in this temperate realm. With movements both deliberate and serene, it navigates the intricate network of branches, its large, round eyes watchful for the subtleties of its surroundings, as it searches for the leaves and fruits that sustain it. As it moves, the lemurs' haunting, wailing calls echo through the forest, a poignant reminder of the fragility and beauty of this vanishing world.

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