Creature Feature #266: Gentle Lemur

The Gentle Lemur species fall into two Families - Hapalemur (5 species) and Prolemur (1 species). They are characterised by their round faces, fluffy ears, short muzzles and greyish-brown fur.  Their other common name, "Bamboo Lemur", refers to their diet. They are one of the few animals able to survive almost solely on bamboo - a food source that contains high quantities of cyanide. It is unknown how they process this substance, consuming daily levels that would kill a human. The Hapalemur species live in small family groups numbering 2-5 individuals, whereas the Prolemur - this Greater Gentle Lemur - will live in a social group with up to 28 members. All are heavily threatened by habitat loss and hunting, with 3 of the 7 species classified as critically endangered.

Creature Feature #245: Fossa

If you have seen the movie "Madagascar" you may think you know what a fossa is.
You are, quite probably, wrong.
How they portrayed this muscular, lithe and somewhat unpleasant creatures was almost demeaning to the species. In fact, the whole movie bugged me on various levels and helped inspire my Lemur Saga. Why call a movie "Madagascar" and make the four main characters all African? Why portray fossa as sort of shoaling hyena without brains? At least they kept the lemurs relatively true to their spirit (I can imagine lemurs partying, oy yeh).

So what is a fossa really then?

Fossa have always been hard to categorise, once classified in with the Viverrids, they have now been shifted into their own Family, Eupleridae, with all of Madagascar's unique carnivores. They somewhat resemble a giant mongoose on steroids. However, unlike mongooses (yes, that is the plural, ask google) she is extremely agile and will leap through the trees with the greatest of ease. Her tails is exceptionally long - as long as her body - and act as a counterbalance. Fossa walk with a plantigrade stance and her ankles are jointed such that she can twist them about and climb down trees head-first. Why must a fossa be such an exceptional climber? Because she loves to eat lemurs.

So you may be able to understand why I am not exactly fond of the fossa. Sure, she plays an important role in nature and is a most interesting creature indeed but she does enjoy chowing down on my favourite animals and also smells rather rank when you meet her in person.

Fossa are not generally social. They certainly don't live in packs as depicted in the afore-mentioned movie, although three male fossa have been recorded hunting one poor Verraeux sifaka, then sharing the kill. When the female comes into heat, she climbs up onto a sturdy branch. She will use the same tree year-by-year and as fossa's cycles are fairly precise, can collect a large array of suitors. The males gather from all around and she decides which ones she wishes to mate with. If she does not like the male, she will back up onto branches that will not bear their shared weight and snarls at him. Fossa mating is very noisy and can last for three hours. She will remain there for up to ten days, mating with multiple partners, before eventually heading off to find a den and birth up to six cubs. Fossa cubs develop quite slowly for a carnivore and do not become independent until they are one year old.

Creature Feature #243: Fork-Marked Lemur

It's been a while since I'm submitted a lemur through my Animal-a-Day, so here she is, the Fork-Marked  Lemur, known also as the Tanta.

The Fork-Marked Lemurs are a Family of Dwarf Lemur, consisting of four species. She is characterised by the stripe that runs along her spine and forks at her head into dark stripes down her face. She has large feet, enabling her strong grip on the branches as she scurries through the forest. Nocturnal in nature, her principle diet is tree sap. She uses her long premolars to break through the bark, and extracts the sap inside with her long tongue. She will also eat invertebrates for additional protein.

Creature Feature #224: Fanaloka

The Fanaloka is a Malagasy civet, making her home in the eastern rainforests of Madagascar. She leads a solitary lifestyle, although will occasionally live in pairs. During the day she sleeps in a tree hollow or a den beneath rocks. At night she comes out to feed on small vertebrates, pursuing them up into the trees. She mates prior to the wet season, giving birth to a single youngster three months later. The kit is born fully furred, with open eyes, and is weaned at 10 weeks of age. Not a great deal is known about this creature, once considered to be a Viverid, but now found in her own Family, the Euplerids, along with the Fossa, the ringtailed mongoose and other Malagasy carnivores.

Creature Feature #159: Diademed Sifaka

The Diademed Sifaka is the most widespread of Madagascar’s eastern sifaka species and inhabits lowland and subhumid forests. He lives in small troops - up to ten individuals - and fiercely defends his territory against rival diademed groups. Both male and female scent mark the outer perimeters of their home range. Purely vegetarian, he will consume parts of 25 different plants: flowers, seeds and verdant leaves. Breeding is seasonal, with females only being receptive a few days a year.

Creature Feture #144: CuckooRoller

The Cuckoo Roller, or Courol, is a medium-large bird found in Madagascar and the Coromo Islands. Bright, brash and bold, he inhabits any forested zones, from rainforest to plantations. His main diet consists of insects, locusts, lizards and chameleons. When foraging he sits quiet and still, eyes ever watchful and awaiting any sight of potential prey. He then pounches, snatching it up in his broad bill and beating all resistance out of it before gobbling it down. Usually seen in pairs with the more dully coloured female. Nests are constructed from tree hollows, with no lining and only the female incubates whilst the male brings her food. Chicks hatch fluffy and fledge after 30 days.

We met our one and only Cuckoo Roller in Perinet (Andasibe), when he followed us for some time and then, when our chameleon-loving companion remarked "we haven't seen any chameleons today" decided to perch beside us with a tiny one in his beak, pose with it and stare at us for a good 30 seconds, then gobble it down.

Creature Feature #142: Crowned Sifaka

The Crowned Sifaka inhabits small patches of dry forest towards the western edge of Madagascar, where his range somewhat overlaps with the Decken's Sifaka. His colour varies greatly, but he gains his name from his black hood, or "crown" about his head. His home is in the upper canopy, where he lives in small groups of 2-8 individuals, foraging for buds, unripe fruit and mature leaves. His hind legs are very strong, and can propel him great distances between trees. He does not come down to the ground to drink, gaining all the moisture he needs from his diet, although he occasionally will eat soil, for the nutrients it contains. His home range is fiercely defended against other troops, and at night the group retire to the same tree - usually near a river - to sleep.

Creature Feature #141: Crowned Lemur

Okay, I realise that somewhere along the way I appear to have forgotten the alphabet...

The Crowned Lemur is a relatively small member of the Eulemur ("true lemur") Genus. He has vivid orange colouration around his head and shoulders, whereas his mate is a more demure grey. both sport the V-shaped coronet upon their forehead that gives them their name. Crowned Lemurs have a very limited range, with the majority of their population occupying the Ankarana massif at the northern-most tip of Madagascar. They are the only lemurs in the region known to brave the razor-edged limestone tsingy, leaping nimbly across the pinacles as they travel from canyon forest to canyon forest in search of leaves, flowers and fruit.

For those of you that have read my Fellowship of the Ringtails book, this is what Sneak will grow up to look like.

Creature Feature #130: Coua

Coua are found exclusively in Madagascar and are members of the Cuckoo Family. Terrestrial in nature; she forages in  the leaf litter and foliage for berries, insects, fruit and the occasional lizard or chameleon. With nine extant species, species - like this Crested Coua - have colonised the dry forests of the west whereas other species can be found in the humid rainforests of the east. These secretive birds are usually found alone or in pairs. The name is derived from their call - "ko-a". Coua build their own nest, hiding it in a tree or bush. Chicks display a pattern on the inside of their beaks, obvious when they gape for food. These markings - resembling crudely drawn eyes and mouth - are fluorescent and make it easier for the mother to find their mouth in the darkness of their nest.

Creature Feature #124: Coquerel's Sifaka

Finally, it's time for another lemur! Although you can expect another two before we conclude this letter.

The Coquerel's Sifaka makes her home in the dry forests of north-west Madagascar. Her long and powerful legs made her a strong leaper - she is capable of jumping up to ten metres. With her legs being longer than her arms, she cannot walk on all fours and when forced to traverse the ground must do so in a series of bipedal hops, her arms and tail spread out for balance. Her name - sifaka - is derived from her warning call. Like most lemur species, Coquerel's Sifaka are matriachal, with the females leading the group and dominating the males whilst they forage. Her preferred diet is leaves, flowers and fruit and she can eat more than 100 different species. She is an important agent in seed dispersal.

Also, I have coloured her eyes wrong - they are meant to be golden or orange. Oops. Shall remedy that if I can! (thank goodness for gel pens).

Creature Feature #121: Comet Moth

The Comet Moth, or Madagascar Moon Moth, is one of the largest silk moths in the world. He can measure up to twenty cm across. Like many moths, he spends the majority of his life - about two months - as a caterpillar before pupating. His natural habitat is the rainforest, and the cocoon is riddled with holes to allow for drainage and prevent the pupae from drowning. Once he has hatched he is incapable of eating, and will only survive for 4-5 days. His main aim is to reproduce. Female Comet Moths can lay over 120 eggs. Like many Madagascan creatures, the Comet Moth is threatened by deforestation, but he does readily reproduce in captivity.

Creature Feature #58: Black Lemur

This “true lemur” species shows rather dramatic sexual dimorphism: only the male is actually black, whereas the female is a rich chesnut red. She is found in north-west Madagascar and, like all lemurs, leads an arboreal existence. The majority of her diet is fruit, although she will sample invertebrates and enjoys nectar. She has been observed capturing millipedes, biting them into an agitated state, in which the millipede begins releasing its toxin. She then rubs it across her fur. These toxins are not fatal to lemurs, and it is thought that it is used to repel insects, but the lemur also clearly enters a blissful state, more or less getting itself “high” on this narcotic substance.
Watch it here in this over-dramatised video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LwQ0ZiTYkQ

Creature Feature #37: Babakoto

From one lemur to another - this one is the Babakoto, more commonly named “Indri”. It is the largest of the lemur species, the size of a small child, and belongs to the Sifaka family. With its long legs and lanky appearance, the Babakoto cannot walk on all fours but must instead make squatting hops on the rare occasion that it pursues a terrestrial lifestyle. For the most part, it lives high in the trees, where its long legs allow it to make impressive leaps from tree to tree as it forages for its diest of leaves. Like most of its Family, babakoto have a highly specialised diet that cannot be replicated in captivity, therefore the only hope for their future is in the wilds of Madagascar - which are still disappearing.

Once protected and revered, by a fady, taboo, surrounding it, the babakoto is now being poached by for the pot. There are various myths surrounding the creation of the babakoto which also explain its Malagasy name which literally translates as “father of the boy”.

Its call is among the most haunting sounds I have ever heard, akin to whalesong and heavy with melancholy and longing. It is the sound of a dying wilderness and a species approaching the brink of extinction..

Creature Feature #30: Avahi

To mark the first full month of an animal-a-day (but still, not yet, the end of the As), here is the first lemur.

The Avahi, or Woolly Lemur, is the smallest member of the Sifaka family. She is also the nocturnal sifaka species. There are a number of species (9) known, but probably the most amusing is the Bemeraha Woolly Lemur, who bears the scientific name of Avahi Cleesi and is named after John Cleese. This is not that avahi (it has more white on its face), but of the Eastern clan.

Avahi live in small family groups - couples with kids, basically. Youngsters are weaned after six months and independent at a year of age, but tend to stay near their family after that. Like all sifaka, they are vegetarian and eat mainly leaves, with the occasional flower or bud for added flavour. They are found in rainforests, often sharing their home with other, diurnal, lemur species and spend their days sitting high in the trees, dozing in the sun and digesting their foliage diet. At night they venture out to forage.

Like all lemur species, they are threatened by deforestation and poaching.

Better watch out, little froggie....

.. that chameleon has his eye on you!

Female Jackson's chameleon and painted mantilla frog. A 6x6 inch illustration for my mother's birthday.