Reproduction
Twin crowned lemurs (female left, male right) wrap around their mom. Click image for larger version.
At the DLC, crowned lemurs are held in small family groups, usually consisting of an adult pair, their infants (twinning is fairly common in this species) and any juveniles from the previous year or two. Births at the DLC occur April through mid-June (mid September through October in Madagascar), with gestation being about 120 to 128 days. Births in Madagascar coincide with the start of the rainy season. Singletons and twins appear to be equally common. Infants are initially carried on the mother's belly, but switch to her back when they are a couple of months old. Sexual maturity is estimated to be reached at around 20 months of age. It is not known if the presence of juveniles in a group during birth season or breeding season has an effect on either the production or survival of infants.