Somatic Variation in Living, Wild Ring-Tailed Lemurs (Lemur catta)

Sauther, Michelle L.; Cuozzo, Frank P.

doi:10.1159/000108589

Cited by 34 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 73 publications

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“…Thirty males aged older than 1 year from 5 groups of L. catta comprised the study animals ( table 2 ). All focal animals ( table 3 ) were collared with visible numbered tags [Sauther et al, 2002;Cuozzo and Sauther, 2006;Sauther and Cuozzo, 2008;Cuozzo et al, 2010] or could be identified by spots of black dye on different body areas placed by a previous researcher [Bolt, 2013b].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Antipredator Vocalization Usage in the Male Ring-Tailed Lemur (Lemur catta)

Bolt¹,

Sauther²,

Cuozzo³

et al. 2015

IJFP

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The ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta) is a group-living strepsirrhine primate endemic to Madagascar that faces considerable predation pressure from aerial and terrestrial predators. This species engages in mobbing and vigilance behavior in response to predators, and has referential alarm vocalizations. Because L. catta is female dominant, less is known about the alarm calls of males. We tested 3 hypotheses for male antipredator vocalization behavior on L. catta at the Bezà Mahafaly Special Reserve in Madagascar: the predator confusion, group maintenance, and predation risk allocation hypotheses. We found support for 2 hypotheses. When a male L. catta made an antipredator call, other group members vocalized in response. Dominant males did not make alarm calls at higher rates than subordinate males. Predators were more abundant on the western side of Parcel 1, but an even greater number of antipredator vocalizations occurred in this area than predator abundance warranted. We show that male L. catta consistently participated in group-level antipredator vocalization usage in high-risk locations. Although female L. catta are known to hold the primary role in group defense, male L. catta are also key participants in group-wide behaviors that may confuse or drive away predators.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Antipredator Vocalization Usage in the Male Ring-Tailed Lemur (Lemur catta)

Bolt¹,

Sauther²,

Cuozzo³

et al. 2015

IJFP

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“…At BMSR, all focal animals (n = 16 from 2 groups) had existing nylon collars with unique tags [see Sussman et al, 2012]. At TNP, 6 ring-tailed lemurs from 3 distinct social groups were captured and fitted with radio tracking collars (MOD-080 transmitter configuration, Telonics Inc.) [for protocol, see Sauther and Cuozzo, 2008]. In total, the TNP adult focal animals ranged between 19 and 22 individuals from 2 groups (M.L.…”

Section: Behavioral Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal Feeding Ecology of Ring-Tailed Lemurs: A Comparison of Spiny and Gallery Forest Habitats

LaFleur¹,

Sauther²

2015

IJFP

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Although Lemur catta persists in many habitat types in southern Madagascar, its ecology has been primarily studied within gallery forests. We compare plant food selection and properties for ring-tailed lemurs in the spiny and gallery forests over the synchronized lactation period (September to March) that includes both the dry and wet seasons. We found no significant habitat-specific differences in the type of plant part consumed per month (i.e. flower, fruit, leaf) or between the intake of soluble carbohydrates. However, the presence and use of Tamarindus indica plants appear to elevate protein and fiber intake in the gallery forest lemurs' diets. Protein is especially important for reproductive females who incur the added metabolic costs associated with lactation; however, fiber can disrupt protein digestion. Future work should continue to investigate how variations of protein and fiber affect ring-tailed lemur dietary choice and nutrient acquisition.

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“…At the time of this study, approximately 225 free-ranging ring-tailed lemurs in 11 groups lived in parcel I, and within these groups almost all adult lemurs were individually known [Gould and Ziegler, 2007;Sauther and Cuozzo, 2008]. Most individuals were collared and labelled with visible numbers, an identification system dating to the earliest ring-tailed lemur research at the reserve in the late 1980s [Sussman, 1991;Sauther et al, 2002;Cuozzo and Sauther, 2006;Sauther and Cuozzo, 2009;Cuozzo et al, 2010].…”

Section: Description Of Field Sitementioning

confidence: 99%

Male-Specific Use of the Purr in the Ring-Tailed Lemur <b><i>(Lemur catta)</i></b>

Bolt

2014

Folia Primatol

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In mammals, purring has been described in mostly affiliative contexts. In the ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta), both males and females purr, but only males were observed purring in agonistic contexts. In order to determine whether male ring-tailed lemurs purr as aggressive displays during intrasexual agonistic encounters, 480 h of focal data were collected on 25 adult males from Beza Mahafaly Special Reserve, Madagascar, from March to July 2010. The male purring rate increased during periods of male-male agonism when compared to times without intrasexual agonism, and the purring rate was positively correlated with male dominance rank. However, the purring rate was not significantly higher during winning agonistic interactions when compared with losing encounters. My results indicate that the male ring-tailed lemur purr is used most frequently as an agonistic vocalization in male-male encounters, in addition to being used less frequently in other social contexts, including during tail-waving at females, resting, scent-marking, feeding and copulation. Dominant males have higher purring rates across social situations, suggesting that the purring rate may be driven by intrinsic male qualities rather than functioning as a meaningful signal in each disparate social context. Male purring in intrasexual agonistic encounters can be added to previously described social contexts for ring-tailed lemur purring.

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Somatic Variation in Living, Wild Ring-Tailed Lemurs (Lemur catta)

Cited by 34 publications

References 73 publications

Antipredator Vocalization Usage in the Male Ring-Tailed Lemur (Lemur catta)

Antipredator Vocalization Usage in the Male Ring-Tailed Lemur (Lemur catta)

Seasonal Feeding Ecology of Ring-Tailed Lemurs: A Comparison of Spiny and Gallery Forest Habitats

Male-Specific Use of the Purr in the Ring-Tailed Lemur <b><i>(Lemur catta)</i></b>

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