Once in Ancient Greece there was a word for a night of ghosts. This word lemur. When zoologists met these funny animals with big expressive eyes, they were called lemurs.
The local population was terrified of lemurs, giving them mystical powers. Lemurs come in many different types and different sizes.
The smallest lemur is the pygmy mouse in a length of only 22 cm high, if you count the tail. The baby weighs not more than fifty grams. The largest of living is babakoto or short-tailed indri. Its maximum weight is not more than seven and a half pounds, and a long torso does not exceed seventy inches.
The classification of these animals as a form looks like this:
- Kingdom: animals
- class: mammals
- subclass: animals
- infraclass: placental
- gandotra: euarchonta
- mirorred: primatologie
- order: primates
- suborder: wet-nosed monkey
- infraorder: glamourouslesya
Just lamorously five families in the United 101 species of these animals,
The species of lemurs are different from each other by coat color, size, peculiarities of habits and habitat. All lemurs are characteristic of the faces are triangular in shape, five toes on each of prehensile limbs, and large, expressive eyes. The characteristic feature of virtually all types of wet-nosed monkey is a large, bushy tail, and a special expression of the eyes.
What eats lemur
Most often, these primates eat various plant foods, e.g. sweets, fruits such as bananas or figs. Some, such as the Madagascar of reconoce, love to eat mangoes and coconuts, or fruit, tamarind which is especially liked the cat’s lemurs.
Shoots of giant bamboo prefer to eat species such as the big bamboo and Golden.
Sifaka and indri are staunch vegetarians, whereas dwarf Cockerel successfully preys on small birds and eats their eggs. A large number of lemurs are happy to eat various insects, beetles, worms and larvae. Some plants from the diet of the species Andreevich contain toxic substances. To neutralize them this species of lemur eats the earth.
Gray mouse lemur often catches chameleons and tree frogsand dwarf consumed the juice of various plants, in addition, nectar and pollen from flowers.
In General, all types of lemurs consume a lot of food, and food that are often not very nutritional, so they often rest, saving power. Some species bury their heads between paws, and a tail throw it on my shoulders. During the meal, they grab the food with the handles and put it in your mouth, or eat just like that, not using front legs.
In captivity, these animals manifest themselves as omnivores and agree to accept any food. Some species readily eat directly from human hands. Feed lemur home can any vegetables: cabbage, boiled potatoes and beets. You can buy him rice cereal, bakery products, nuts. Happy to eat pet and sweets, dates and honey.
Once a week you can treat your pet a small portion of cooked meat or fish. You can still give the animal sunflower seeds. And in winter it will be useful to diversify the diet of various greens, fresh shoots of various trees, softwood – fir or pine. In the absence of fresh twigs in winter and will fit pre-dried bundles of twigs. They should prepare in advance in summer.
Where are the lemurs
Initially, the ancestors of modern lemurs lived on the African continent, it was long ago, millions of years ago. Now this kind on the continent is not found, but approximately 165 million years ago by tectonic cataclysm from Africa broke the island of Madagascar along with living in this ancient primerami. Their descendants are very diverse and inhabit now, not only Madagascar, but also from neighbouring Comoros.
These animals live only where there is a lot of vegetation, although mastered all the natural areas of Madagascar. Depending on the species, some animals successfully breed in the Eastern part of the island, amidst a jungle with a tropical monsoon climate. From other primates prefer to live in a moderate Maritime climate in the Central part of the island.
A sufficient number of species of lemurs live in the forests of the West coast, where pretty dry. And among the trees growing on the North-Eastern and southern Madagascar. Despite this, many species of these primates are endangered species and protected by law.
They live in family groups, usually in the range of 25 individuals in the group. The family have a strict hierarchical system with a mandatory main female. Is the whole life of the lemur, as a rule, on trees, on the ground they go very rarely, with the exception of species such as Ruffed, red-bellied lemurs and cat. These species belong to the earth more tolerant than the other species of lemurs.
Live lemur is spacious enough, one family can be located on an area of eighty hectares. Their land is strictly protected from outsiders, carefully marking the boundaries of the occupied territory. The lemur is able to give birth to only one cub, which carries almost eight months. After birth, the cub is still two months constantly hanging on the mother, firmly holding her hair, and then begins an independent life.
In addition, these animals can be kept in captivity.
For home maintenance often choose one of the following breeds:
- Lori
- Cat
- Black
- Mongoz
Lemurs are suitable for home detention
To contain these animals is preferable in cages or aviaries because they can’t adapt to the tray. In addition, the house should be warm and without drafts because it is very heat-loving animals. It is useful and place inside the cage a small house, so the animal was no where to hide and sleep. In spite of complexity of the contents, these primates are able to deliver to their masters a lot of pleasant and joyful minutes. The fauna and the overall nature on our beautiful planet in all its diversity.
