There are at least ten lemur species present in the makay. The presence of two other species was mentioned by local villagers, but not yet confirmed.
The ten lemurs are divided into four families, three are diurnal species and six nocturnal: Red-fronted lemur (Eulemur rufifrons), Coquerel’s giant mouse lemur (Mirza coquereli), Gray mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus), Fat-tailed dwarf lemur (Cheirogaleus medius), Pale fork-marked lemur (Phaner pallescens), Red-tailed sportive lemur (Lepilemur ruficaudatus), Reddish-grey mouse lemur (Microcebus griseorufus), Verreaux’ sifaka (Propithecus verreauxi), Ranomafana bamboo lemur (Hapalemur griseus ranomafanensis).
Red-Fronted Lemur:
The red-fronted brown lemur is endemic to the island of Madagascar and is distributed in the south in two populations, one to the east and one to the west.
This lemur’s length is 50 cm, males weigh about 2 kg and females up to 2.5 kg. They are large lemurs and similar to tawny lemurs. Males and juveniles of both sexes are gray on top and gray below, with a red crown and dark tail. Between the seventh and seventeenth weeks, the females change their color: green-brown-gray on the back and reddish white on the belly. The face is a bit red and the tail ends in an orange spot.
The red-fronted lemur lives in tropical forests, up to 170 m altitude and feeds mainly on all plant material of the tamarind and seeds of various trees that they collect.
In the western population each group has a dominant male, however, in the eastern one there are several. Copulation takes place from May to June and births from September to October after about 120 days . They can be active during the day or the night with western population like in Makay, more active during the day. Their groups are made up of an average of eight or nine individuals, both males and females.
The red-fronted lemur is near-threatened due to habitat loss, the result of burning, agriculture, poaching and illegal trade. It is the most frequently hunted lemur species in Madagascar.
Coquerel’s giant mouse lemur:
The coquerel’s dwarf lemur (Mirza coquereli or Coquerel’s giant mouse lemur) is a nocturnal lemur from Madagascar. They can only be found on the west coast of the island and usually prefer dry deciduous forests near rivers or lakes.
An adult weighs 290 to 320 grams, is 20 to 25 centimeters long with a tail length of 30 – 33 cm. They are olive brown on top and yellow gray on the underside. They have a small head with long bald ears and large dark eyes. It has a long body with short limbs. The animal runs and jumps using all four legs, using its tail to keep balance.
This lemur spends most of its life in trees, one to six meters above the ground. Unlike most dwarf lemurs, the coquerel dwarf lemur does not hibernate. They are active at night, looking for flowers, fruits, eggs, frogs, reptiles, small birds, and hunt by themselves, making as little noise as possible, communicating with their mates through scent trails and high-frequency sounds. During the day they sleep in oval nests of intertwined twigs. Adult males sleep alone and adult females usually sleep in pairs.
Females call males by loud calls during the mating season and the males answer with high-frequency squeals. Usually one to four young are born in the nest. Twins are the most common and most favorable as females have only two glands.
Many coquerel dwarf lemurs have fled to fragmented forests to escape human threats and do less well here than in their preferred forests. The status of the species is therefore listed as ‘endangered’.
Gray mouse lemur:
The gray mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus) is one of the best researched and most widespread species of its genus. It has a length of 12 to 14 centimeters, with a tail of 12 to 15 cm. These mouse lemurs only weigh 60 grams on average. Their fur is gray-brown on top and underside it is white to light brown. Their eyes and ears are larger than other mouse lemurs.
We can find them on the entire west and south-west coast of Madagascar where they live in various forms of forests, and also in plantations and gardens. They live peacefully with other mouse lemur species. Gray mouse lemurs are nocturnal and sleep in trees during the day in leaf nests. Females sleep in groups of two to nine animals, and separately search for food at night. The males are solitary.
Gray mouse lemurs (mostly females) hibernate during the dry winter months (June to September). They store up fat in their tail during the wet season. Their body weight decreases significantly and their body temperature also drops.
The gray mouse lemur feeds on fruits, flowers, insects and resins. In the rainy season, they mostly eat fruits and in the dry season they switch to resins and insects.
Fat-tailed dwarf lemur:
The western fat-tailed lemur (Cheirogaleus medius) reaches 20 to 23 centimeters and his tail length ranges from 20 to 27 cm. Their body weight depends on the season and varies between 120 and 270 grams. Their fur is gray on the head, back and tail, and yellow-white underneath and a brown stripe on the back. The head is round with a short snout and small, hairless ears. The eyes have dark circles around them.
They live in the western and southwestern parts of the country and live mostly in dry forests, but they can also be found in moist forests. They are nocturnal and sleep in trees during the day. At night they look for food and move on four legs. They live in pairs, which are only broken when one of the couple dies, and form small family groups together with their young. They hibernate during the dry seasons (April to October) and from November to March they gain weight and especially their tail functions as fat storage for their hibernation. During hibernation their weight can be reduced by almost half. During this time the body temperature adapts to the outside temperature and can sometimes undergo changes of 10 to 40 °C.
They mostly eat fruits, but also flowers, nectar, insects and small vertebrates. At the beginning of the rainy season they mostly eat fruits and nectar and vertebrates and insects in the months after.
Mating takes place at the beginning of the rainy season, sometimes only every two years. Males and females are both needed to raise the young together. If one of the two parents dies, the survivor will not be able to raise the young on its own. Typically two to three young are born in December or January. These spend their first weeks in a tree hole and are always guarded by one of the parents. They are weaned at around 45 days and become sexually mature at the age of two. Life expectancy in captivity can be almost 20 years.
Pale fork-marked lemur:
The western fork striped lemur (Phaner pallescens) is one of the smallest fork-striped lemurs: 25 to 28 cm, and a 31 to 33 cm long tail. They usually weigh between 300 and 350 grams. They are light gray-brown on top and yellow-white underneath. Two dark stripes go from the top of their head over the eyes to their snout.
They live in many parts of the western coast, in different types of forest and prefer dry forest. They are nocturnal and during the day they sleep in trees. They move between trees on four legs and live in monogamous family groups in which the pairs stay together for at least several years. They sleep together during the day and at night the partners search for food by themselves.
The partners keep in touch with each other with different calls. Females and young animals from different groups interact with each other and groom each other. Males react aggressively to outsiders. They feed primarily on tree sap and also eat flowers, nectar and insects. They play an important role in the pollination of baobabs.
Mating takes place in November and in February or March a single cub is born. It spends its first weeks of life in a tree hole and leaves at the age of about three years.
This species is critically endangered.
Red-tailed sportive lemur:
Red-tailed sportive lemurs are small primates with long, strong legs. They are between 21 and 28 cm tall and their tail between 23 and 25 cm. They weigh between 800 and 900 grams. They are gray on the back, and shoulders and upper arms are reddish brown. Their throat is white, their belly light gray and their tail is red. The gray head is round with large, round ears and eyes, due to their nocturnal lifestyle.
They live in the south-west of Madagascar between the Tsiribihina and Mangoky rivers, in deciduous forests. They are nocturnal and stay in the trees, climbing and jumping at night and during the day they sleep in trees. Couples live together in a territory of around 1 hectare and often sleep together, but search for food separately. They mainly eat leaves, but also eat fruits and other plant material.
They mate from May to July, and after130 days the female usually gives birth to a single cub. He drinks from his mother for four months and is independent at around a year.
Habitat destruction is the main threat and it is critically endangered.
Reddish-gray mouse lemur
The red-gray mouse lemur (Microcebus griseorufus) is a tiny primate (lemuriform) from western Madagascar. Its very small size could be the result of adaptation through evolution (“island dwarfism”) in response to climatic and environmental changes. This small lemur is only 11 to 13 centimeters without the tail, which reaches 14 to 15 cm in length and weighs 46 to 85 grams. They are gray on the back and white on the belly and have a brown dorsal stripe and a red tail.
Verreaux’ sifaka:
The Verreaux’ sifaka (Propithecus verreauxi) is from the family of indri-like within the lemurs. They measure 40 to 48 centimeters, their tail is 50 to 60 centimeters long and they weigh 3 to 3.5 kilograms. They have long, dense, soft white fur. The top of their head is brown, the chest and top of the arms are sometimes reddish brown. Their black face is hairless. As with all Sifakas, the hind legs are very long.
These sifakas live in southwestern Madagascar, in dry, deciduous as well as in thorn forests and in the southeast in rain forests. They mostly live in trees and sometimes come down to the ground. They climb or hop with their extended hind legs. On the ground, they jump on their hind legs and stretch their front legs up for balance.
They live in groups of 4 to 8 animals and areas of 2 to 25 hectares and communicate through warning cries. They warn of ground predators like the fossa with a bark that sounds like si-fak (hence the name). For birds of prey they use a loud roar. They are herbivores and feed on fruits, seeds and flowers in the rainy season, and leaves during the dry season.
They mate between January and February. In this season males fight with each other, sometimes resulting in serious injuries. After 160 to 170 days, the female gives birth to a single cub between July and August. The cubs first cling to the mother’s belly and later ride on her back. After six months they are weaned and become independent. Sexual maturity occurs at three to five years of age. The males then have to leave their natal group, while the females remain in it for life. Life expectancy is around 25 years.
Larval sifakas have a larger range and more varied habitats than other lemurs and their habitat is being threatened and is listed as endangered.
Ranomafana bamboo lemur
The Ranomafana bamboo lemur (H. g. ranomafanensis) is found in three separated populations: in the Tsingy de Bemaraha (west-coast) up until the Betsiboka River, the Makay massif (southwest of Madagascar). The eastern population is found in the forests south of the Mangoro River and the Onive River in Ranomafana National Park. We find it in bamboo (bamboo being its main diet) tropical moist lowland and montane forest. Besides bamboo they also eat flowers, fungi, fig leaves, grass stems, fruits and sugar cane. Due to habitat loss it is listed vulnerable.
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