And we have 30 years of genetic history on some of these animals. All this means we can get much more information in a much shorter time. One of the information gatherers is Frances White, a behavioral ecologist. She has been studying lemurs here for more than 10 years, especially larger diurnal animals like ruffed lemurs and ring-tails. One of the unusual characteristics of lemur society she is studying is female dominance.
Female lemurs get the best food.
They do much of the mate choice. Males are often deferent. She hypothesizes that the females' dominance serves to ensure their young are well nourished despite limited resources. In ongoing experiments, males seem to lose their deference when food is widely available. Like Darwin's finches, Madagascar's lemurs have evolved in remarkably distinctive ways.