Red-fronted Brown Lemur

Photo: Duke University Primate Center

Red-fronted Brown Lemur Facts
Source: Lemurs of Madagascar, pp. 181-183
(with permission from Conservation International)

Identification Eulemur fulvus rufus is a medium-sized lemur with a body length over 40 cm, a tail length of 55 cm (for an overall length of between 90-100 cm), and weight around 2.7 kg. In coat color, males are gray to gray-brown and females are rufous to brown. Both sexes have pale patches over the eyes as in E. f. fulvus; in the western population these are large and continue down around the eyes, ending in light cheeks in the females. E. f. rufus males have thick cream-colored hair surrounding the head, more rufous on the crown. The eastern males have more notable eye patches. Eastern females tend to be more rufous to rust in coat color. A short russet beard is found in females. In the western part of its range, this subspecies is unlikely to be confused with any other sympatric lemur, since it is the only representative of the genus Eulemur in this region. In the east, it might be confused with sympatric E. rubriventer, especially if only a fleeting glimpse of the animal is obtained. Geographic Range The red-fronted brown lemur is found in western and eastern Madagascar (Petter et al., 1977; Tattersall, 1982). In the west, it is known from the Betsiboka River south to the Fiherenana River near Tulear (=Toliary), but also has been sighted south of the river in the forests of Lambomakandro. In the east, the limits of its distribution are poorly defined, but it appears to occur from the Mangoro River south to the Andringitra Massif. The southern limit of its range is apparently the Manampatrana River, which separates E. f. rufus from E. f. albocollaris. There also is a small introduced population of red-fronted lemurs at the Berenty Private Reserve in southern Madagascar (O'Connor, 1987). Natural History E. f. rufus has been studied in the west in the deciduous forests of Antserananomby and Tongobato (Sussman, 1974, 1975, 1977) and in the east at Ranomafana (Meyers, 1988; Overdorff, 1991). A comparison of these studies reveals the degree of variability in the behavioral ecology of the subspecies and the species as a whole. In the west, population density is reported to be extremely high (reaching 10 individuals/ha), with day ranges between 125 and 150 m, and home ranges between 0.75 and 1.0 ha. In the east, population density is much lower and home ranges are as large as 100 ha. Group size ranges from 4 to 17 (average size of 9 individuals) in the west, and from 6 to 18 (average of 8 individuals) in the east (0.25 individuals/ha); day ranges vary from 457 m to 1,471 m. Dominance hierarchies are unknown in either population and rates of aggression are low. The diet of the western population is primarily leaves, pods, stems, flowers, bark and sap of the kily tree (Tamarindus indica). In the east, Overdorff (1991) found higher dietary diversity and a predominance of fruit, unlike in the west. Other food items include insects, bird nests, and dirt (in the east). Reproduction is seasonal. Mating occurs in June, births in September and October, and weaning occurs by January (Sussman, 1977). Conservation Status The primary threat to this suspecies is habitat destruction. In the western forests this is due largely to burning to clear land for pasture; in the east the cause is slash-and-burn agriculture and cutting of forest for fuelwood and construction. The red-fronted lemur is found in the Isalo and Ranomafana National Parks, the Namoroka and Tsingy de Bemaraha Nature Reserves, the Andranomena, Kalambatritra and Pic d'Ivohibe Special Reserves, and the Analabe and Berenty Primate Reserves, and it may possibly occur in one or more protected areas where the subspecies of brown lemur has not been identified (Sussman, 1977; O'Connor, 1987; Meyers, 1988; Nicoll and Langrand, 1989; Harcourt and Thornback, 1990; Mittermeier et al., 1992). There are no population figures available, but a reasonable order of magnitude estimate would be greater than 100,000 (Mittermeier, et al., 1992). Approximately 100 E. f. rufus are held in 22 zoos worldwide, including Zoo Ivoloina in Madagascar (Olney and Ellis, 1992; ISIS, 1993). Given its presumably large wild population and occurence in a number of protected areas, the red-fronted brown lemur was given a Low Priority rating (2) in the IUCN/SSC Primate Specialist Group's Lemurs of Madagascar: An Action Plan for their Conservation (Mittermeier et al., 1992. Using the latest IUCN Red List criteria, we place this subspecies in the Low Risk category.

Photos Credits: All photos are courtesy of the Duke University Primate Center. Source of Information: Mittermeier, R. A., Tattersall, I, Konstant, W. R., Meyers, D. M., Mast, R. B. 1994. Lemurs of Madagascar. Conservation International, Washington, D.C. References: Harcourt, C. and J. Thornback. 1990. Lemurs of Madagascar and the Comoros. The IUCN Red Data Book, compiled by C. Harcourt. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, U.K. ISIS, 1993. ISIS Species Distribution Report Abstract for Mammals, 31 December 1993. International Species Inventory System, 12101 Johnny Cake Ridge Road, Apple Valley, Minnesota, USA. Mittermeier, R. A., W. R. Konstant, M. E. Nicoll and O. Langrand 1992. Lemurs of Madagascar: An Action Plan for their Conservation. 1993-1999. IUCN/SSC Primate Specialist Group, Gland, Switzerland. Nicoll, M. E. and O. Langrand 1989. Madagascar: Revue de la Conservation et des Aires Protegees. World Wide Fund for Nature, Gland, Switzerland, xvii + 374pp. O'Connor, S. S. M. 1987. The effect of human impact on vegetation and the consequences to primates in two riverine forests, southern Madagascar. Unpublished PhD thesis, University of Cambridge, U.K. Olney, P.J.S. and P. Ellis (eds.) 1992. Census of Rare Animals in Captivity 1991. International Zoo Yearbook (Vol. 31). Zoological Society of London, U.K. Overdorff, D.J. 1991. Ecological correlates of social structure in two prosimian primates: Eulemur fulvus rufus and Eulemur rubriventer in Madagascar. Unpublished PhD thesis, Duke University, Durhan, North Carolina. Petter, J.-J., R. Albignac and Y. Rumpler 1977. Mammiferes: lemuriens (Primates prosimiens). Faune de Madagascar No. 44. ORSTOM-CNRS, Paris. Tattersall, I. 1982. The Primates of Madagascar. Columbia University Press, New York. Related Web sites: Conservation International Duke University Primate Center Prosimians - Duke University Primate Center Prosimian Picture Gallery Red-fronted lemurs Godric's Lemur Gallery Living Lemurs Madagascar Fauna Group

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