Avahi laniger
Creators: name: Russell A. Mittermeier
name: Anthony B. Rylands
name: Don E. Wilson
Publisher: name: Lynx Edicions
Year: 2013
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Primates
Indriidae
Avahi
Avahi laniger

description: 1.
Eastern Woolly Lemur
Avahi laniger
French: Avahi laineux / German: Ostlicher Wollmaki / Spanish: Lémur lanudo oriental
Other common names: Eastern Avahi, Gmelin’s Woolly Lemur my
Taxonomy. Lemur laniger Gmelin, 1788,
Madagascar, Betanimena country, Antongil Bay.
This species is monotypic.
Distribution. NE & E Madagascar from the Bemarivo River in the N to the Mangoro/Nesivolo rivers in the S; prior to the recent taxonomic splitting of this species, it was thought to range almost the entire length of E Madagascar’s rainforests from the Ankarana Massif in the extreme N to the Tolagnaro (= Fort-Dauphin) region in the extreme S.
Descriptive notes. Head—body 27.7-32.2 cm,tail 30.4-36.6 cm; weight 1.1-1.3 kg. The dorsal coat of the Eastern Woolly Lemur is gray-brown to reddish, becoming paler toward the rusty-red tail. The chest and abdomen are gray. The face is brownish, with a lighter band or distinct patches above the eyes and lighter fur on the cheeks and throat. Small ears are largely hidden by thick fur. Dense, short fur is tightly curled on the back.
Habitat. Tropical moist lowland, montane, and secondary forest.
Food and Feeding. The Eastern Woolly Lemur eats mainly immature leaves and buds, supplemented with fruits, flowers, and bark.
Breeding. There is no information available for this species.
Activity patterns. There is no specific information available for this species, but the Eastern Woolly Lemur is nocturnal and arboreal.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. Groups of up to five Eastern Woolly Lemurs have been reported, and home ranges of 1-2 ha are defended aggressively. Small group size indicates monogamous groupings, but longitudinal and genetic data are needed to better understand this social behavior. Research at the Analamazaotra Special Reserve suggests a social organization based on monogamous pairs and their offspring. In Analamazaotra, densities have been estimated to reach 72-100 ind/km?.
Status and Conservation. CITES Appendix I. Classified as Least Concern on The [UCN Red List. However, at the IUCN/SSC Lemur Red-Listing Workshop held in July 2012, A. lanigerwas re-assessed and elevated to endangered. It suffers mainly from habitat destruction due to logging and slash-and-burn agriculture. It is sometimes captured opportunistically at its daytime sleeping sites or in traps baited with fruit. In some places, it is actively pursued by hunters with slingshots (Mananara-Nord) or spears (Makira). Indeed, recent data indicate that there has been a considerable upsurge in hunting of the Eastern Woolly Lemur. It occurs in four national parks (Mananara-Nord, Mantadia, Marojejy, and Zahamena), two strict nature reserves (Betampona and Zahamena), five special reserves (Ambatovaky, Ambohitantely, Analamazaotra, Anjanaharibe-Sud, and Mangerivola), and the soon-to-be-protected forests of Makira. It is still unclear which species of woolly lemur occurs in Ankarana National Park; for now,it is tentatively considered to be the Western Woolly Lemur (A. occidentalis).
Bibliography. Albignac (1981b), Andriantompohavana et al. (2007), Britt et al. (1999), Fowler et al. (1989), Ganzhorn (1988), Ganzhorn et al. (1985), Glander et al. (1992), Goodman, S.M. et al. (1998), Harcourt (1991), Hawkins et al. (1990), Lei et al. (2008), Mittermeier et al. (2010), Napier & Napier (1967), Nicoll & Langrand (1989), Petter et al. (1977), Razanahoera-Rakotomalala (1981), Rumpler et al. (2011), Schmid & Smolker (1998), Sterling & Ramaroson (1996), Tattersall (1982, 1986b), Zaramody et al. (2006).
description: Published as part of Russell A. Mittermeier, Anthony B. Rylands & Don E. Wilson, 2013, Indriidae, pp. 142-175 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 3 Primates, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions on page 164, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6709103