Lac Alaotra gentle lemur

Distribution

Habitats

The following habitats are found across the Lac Alaotra gentle lemur distribution range. Find out more about these environments, what it takes to live there and what else inhabits them.

Wetlands
Wetlands, whether swamp, bog, marsh or fen, are waterlogged areas where aquatic plants thrive. Some, like the Okavango Delta, dry up seasonally.

Behaviours

Discover what these behaviours are and how different plants and animals use them.

• Helpless young
• Acoustic communication
• Herbivorous
• Maternal care
• Social
• Chemical communication
• Territorial
• Visual communication
• Viviparous

About

The Lac Alaotra bamboo lemur (Hapalemur alaotrensis), also known as the Lac Alaotra gentle lemur, Alaotran bamboo lemur, Alaotran gentle lemur, or locally as the bandro, is a bamboo lemur. It is endemic to the reed beds in and around Lac Alaotra, in northeast Madagascar. This lemur is the only primate specifically adapted to living in papyrus reeds. Unlike other bamboo lemurs, the Lac Alaotra bamboo lemur does not eat bamboo; instead, it feeds on the stems of papyrus reeds, shoots of Phragmites communis, and two types of grasses (Echinocochla crusgalli and Leersia hexandra).

Its tail and body are both 40 cm on average, and it weighs between 1.1 and 1.4 kg, with males slightly larger than females. Its dense, woolly fur is a gray-brown on the back, lighter gray on the face and chest, and chestnut brown on the head and neck.

The classification of the bandro is disputed, with some classifying it as a subspecies of Hapalemur griseus, while others see it as a separate species. Current genetic data do not support species status. Mitochondrial DNA sequences from the two populations H. g. griseus and H. g. alaotrensis are interspersed with each other on the phylogenetic tree. Moreover, average genetic distances between the two subspecies are within the range of within-taxon comparisons and not in the range of between-taxon comparisons. A final assessment of species versus subspecies status requires filling in gaps in sampling and the use of nuclear loci. GenBank, the universal repository for genetic sequence information, has not accepted the species status of the Aloatran lemur and lists it as a subspecies.

The Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust has a Lac Alaotra bamboo lemur conservation program.

Read more at Wikipedia