Black Lemur

Facts

IUCN VULNERABLE (VU)

Facts about this animal

There are two species, the Black Lemur (E. m. macaco) and the Blue-eyed black Lemur or Sclater's Lemur (E. m. flavifrons). The animals have a head-body length of about 50 cm, and the tail measures 60 cm. Body-weight is about 3 kgs. There is a clear sexual dimorphism in both subspecies. In macaco, which has eartufts in both sexes, males are entirely black, females are brownish with a black head and white tufts. In flavifrons there are no eartufts and males are black while females are brown in colour. But the key difference between the two subspecies is that adult Sclater's Lemurs have bright blue eyes.

These lemurs always live in groups, which can number as many as twenty individuals. They are active during the day, especially at twylight. They run and leap agilely and have a wide range of cries but also rely largely on their senses of smell and hearing to communicate. Among the sounds they use are: a cohesion call, used to keep track of other group members; a recognition grunt, used when one lemur identifies another (and which sounds somewhat like a duck's quacking!); a purr, used by infants to indicate contentment while being groomed; and an alarm call, used to warn of predators (such as birds of prey or the fossa).

Black lemurs scent-mark their surroundings, depositing scent from special glands on their ano-genital (rump) area. Males also mark with scent glands located on their hands and the top of their head. The scent conveys important information about the particular animal that left the fragrant "calling card."

Did you know?
that the word "Lemur" means "ghost" in Latin? This is the perfect name for them because as tree dwellers they often seem invisible high up in the dense foliage, even though their calls and movements are readily heard from the ground.

Factsheet
Class	MAMMALIA
Order	PRIMATES
Suborder	PROSIMIA
Family	LEMURIDAE
Name (Scientific)	Eulemur macaco
Name (English)	Black Lemur
Name (French)	Lémur macaco
Name (German)	Mohrenmaki
Name (Spanish)	Lemur negro
Local names	Malagasy: Ankomba
CITES Status	Appendix I
CMS Status	Not listed

Photo Copyright by
Mbz 1

Distribution

Distribution
Range	North-western Madagascar
Habitat	Evergreen coastal rainforest
Wild population	The population size is considered to range between 10,000-100,000 individuals, population trend declining.
Zoo population	156 Eulemur m. macaco and 56 Eulemur m. flavifrons were reported to ISIS

In the Zoo

How this animal should be transported

For air transport, Container Note 31 of the IATA Live Animals Regulations should be followed.

Find this animal on ZooLex

Photo Copyright by
Daniel Montagnon

Why do zoos keep this animal

The black lemurs are vulnerable because their habitat is rapidly shrinking and deteriorating. With a view of building up a reserve population, an International Studbook has been established in 1987 under the WAZA umbrella, and coordinated conservation breeding programmes are operated at the regional level by AZA, EAZA , JAZA and PAAZAB.

How this animal should be kept

Black lemurs are social animals and should be kept in pairs or family groups. In spacious exhibits with natural vegetation they can be associated with other lemur species.

In temperate and cold climates, white-fronted lemurs must have both an indoor and an outdoor enclosure. Minimum requirements: indoors surface 15 m², height 2.5 m, room temperature at least 15°C, in places higher (radiators). The day phase should be around 12 hours. Vertical and horizontal climbing opportunities, horizontal benches or platforms allowing the group to sit together in close contact, sleeping boxes in the upper part of the enclosure. There should be two nesting boxes per breeding female. Outdoor enclosures must have a size of at least 40 m², height 2.5 m, but preference should be given to larger exhibits with a grass cover, bushes and live trees in addition to dead trees, ropes, climbing frames etc.

Food should be offered at least three times per day, It should consist of a variety of fruit and vegetables, branches in leaf as well as some animal protein.