Social Behavior
A male gray gentle lemur "stink fighting". Click image for larger version.
The gray gentle lemur lives in groups ranging from three to six, and which in some instances might contain more than one female of breeding age. Home range size ranges from 8 ha to 15 ha depending on the quality of the habitat. As is true of most lemur species, females are dominant over males, and in the wild as well as in captivity they will invest some energy in chasing the males away from choice feeding sites.
Scent marking is an important method of communication for bamboo lemurs. Surprisingly, the male bamboo lemur is equipped with a set of scent glands exactly like those found on male ringtailed lemurs, but not found on any other type of lemur. Like ringtailed males, male bamboo lemurs engage in "stink fights" where the tail is repeatedly drawn through the animal's brachial scent gland to anoint it, and then waved over the head in the direction of a rival. Although not as showy a display due to their drabber coloration, the similarity in these two species suggests a close taxonomic affiliation.