To protect themselves, lemurs learn alarm calls of other species Solitary lemurs in Madagascar rely on the alarm calls of birds and more social lemurs to evade predators, reports a study published in PLo, and s one.
They also alternate sleeping sites to confuse predators and conceal themselves in thick vegetation, holes in trees or nests. Lemurs have an excellent sense of smell and avoid areas where they detect the feces of predators . When adults are foraging, infants are hidden in nests or foliage, where they remain immobile until parents return.
Can sportive lemurs sense predators?
“Our results indicate that the Sahamalaza sportive lemur is capable of gleaning information on predator presence and predator type from the referential signals of different surrounding species,” said Marc Holderied of the University of Bristol in a statement.
You might be wondering “What do lemurs do in groups?”
Lemurs that are daytime foragers, such as the ring-tailed lemur, live in large groups with elaborate social systems. Complex vocalizations signal not only danger, but also a wide range of other auditory communications.
Where do lemurs live in captivity?
They’re also the most easily recognizable species of lemur, and the most common primates in captivity. Although widely distributed throughout the dry forests of southwestern Madagascar (some of the hottest, driest, and least hospitable forests in the country), they exist in only a few protected areas.
Another thing we wondered was: why do lemurs live only on Madagascar?
The isolation from primates like apes and monkeys, protected the lemurs from their main predators. Nowadays, no other primates are known to inhabit the Red Island other than them. This is one of the cause why lemurs are able to survive in Madagascar.
Why is the pygmy mouse lemur endangered?
They may be establishing breeding hierarchies for the coming mating season. Mouse lemurs are protected from hunting, but they are still captured for the exotic pet trade. They are most threatened by loss of the limited woodland habitat of their Madagascar home.