Red-Bellied Lemur
The red-bellied lemur is sexually dichromatic, but in a more subtle way than showier species such as the blue-eyed lemur. Males have dark bellies, distinctive white patches under their eyes, and a very active scent gland on top of their heads, which gives them a perpetual "greasy haired" look. Females have much lighter bellies, lack the white eye patches and have no scent glands on their heads.
Feeding
In the wild, these lemurs feed primarily on fruits, flowers and leaves in varying and seasonally changing proportions throughout the year. One study showed red-bellied lemurs utilizing 68 different plant species. Fruit appears to be the most important component of the diet, but one study reports that the lemurs also feed not only on leaves, but on certain invertebrates (millipedes). All forest strata, including the ground are utilized by the animals, but the upper canopy is the most frequently used. Red-bellied lemurs are active at night as well as during the day, although variations in activity levels appear to be seasonal and related to the availability of favorite food items.
Fact Sheet
Order: Primates; Suborder: Prosimii;
Family: Lemuridae; Genus: Eulemur
Species: rubriventer
Related Species
There are several species in the genus Eulemur , including red-bellied lemurs (Eulemur rubriventer), crowned lemurs (Eulemur coronatus), the two subspecies of black lemur (Eulemur macaco), and the seven subspecies of brown lemur (Eulemur fulvus).
Key Facts
Adult Size : 4.4 - 5.3 pounds
Social life : Sociable, small family groups of 2 - 5 individuals
Habitat : moist forest - eastern lowland rainforest -- middle to high altitudes
Diet : fruit, flowers and leaves of 67 different plant species
Lifespan : 20 - 25 years in the wild
Sexual maturity : 2 years
Mating : Extremely seasonal, May - June
Gestation : Approximately 120 days, young are born in September - October
Number of young : one per year
DLC Naming theme : American Indian tribes (Mohawk, Iroquois, Eno, etc.)
Malagasy names : Tongona, Soamiera, Barimaso
Interesting Facts
- Red-bellied lemurs are sometimes active at night.
- Only red-bellied males are reddish-brown all over, females have white bellies.
- Male red-bellied lemurs have scent glands on top of their heads.
- Male red-bellied lemurs carry their offspring almost as much as the females do!
- There is some research to suggest that red-bellied lemurs may form pair bonds.
Reproduction
Red-bellied lemurs are seasonal breeders, with reproductive activity beginning in November and lasting through December in North America. Infants are generally born in North Carolina in March through April (September and October in Madagascar). Single infants are born following a 120-126 day gestation, occasionally twins may also occur, but this is rare. A typical adult pair provide their infant with outstanding care, and much of it is provided by the father, which is unusual for lemurs. During the first five weeks of life, the males might carry the infants as often as the females. After this time the females might reject the infants, but males will continue to carry them until they reach the age of 100 days.
Social Behavior
In the wild, red-bellied lemurs are found in family groups of two to six. Groups consist of an adult pair and their immature offspring. Studies in Ranomafana National Park in Eastern Madagascar have demonstrated that red-bellied home ranges in Madagascar average only around 20 hectares, quite small by typical large-bodied lemur standards. The entire home range is utilized on a daily basis, the borders are approached everyday and are actively defended against intrusion by neighboring groups-- making these animals one of the more territorial lemurs.
At the DLC juveniles remain within their family group until the age of two and a half or three, when sexually mature males are ejected by their fathers and females ejected by their mothers. Parents eject their young from the group whether the animals are housed in a small cage or a multiple acre enclosure. Since the home range size of this lemur in the wild is too small to support a large group of animals, it follows that juveniles would be "encouraged" by their parents to strike out on their own. Ejections of juveniles can be quite violent affairs, so Primate Technicians at the DLC in charge of red-bellied lemur family groups closely monitor tension levels in their groups.
Habitat Conservation
In the wild, red-bellied lemurs inhabit the high altitude rainforests of eastern Madagascar at very low concentrations. They are one of the rarest species in the genus Eulemur . At one time their range encompassed Madagascar's entire eastern rainforest swath, but now they are found from the Tsaratanana Massif in the north to the Andringitra Massif in the south (not including the Masoala Peninsula, home of the red ruffed lemur). The animals are found in nine protected areas in Madagascar. The primary threat to the continued survival of the red-bellied lemur is from forest destruction from logging and from slash and burn agriculture.
Eulemur rubriventer are fairly rare in captivity. The first red-bellied lemur in captivity in North America arrived at Duke in 1979, a single female from a zoo in France. Although she produced several hybrid offspring in captivity, a red-bellied mate was never obtained for her, and she died in 1981. In 1985 another single female, Dido, a confiscated pet from the Perinet region of Madagascar, was brought to Duke. She also produced a hybrid offspring before the arrival in 1986 of 2.1 wild caught Eulemur rubriventer from the rainforest in the vicinity of Ranomafana National Park.
Currently there are 67 captive red-bellied lemurs worldwide, but only three institutions in the US house the animals as compared to 16 in Europe. Following the recommendations of the Prosimian Taxon Advisory Group, which determines strategies for the North American captive breeding of lemurs, the DLC has decided to maintain only a small population of this lemur, and perhaps eventually phase it out entirely. European institutions have expressed interest in continuing to breed and manage this species.