Squirrel lemur (SciiFii)

The squirrel lemur (Neolemur bicolor) is a species of lemur-like galago, despite its name, that originally did not exist, but has since been created by SciiFii and introduced throughout the forests, wetlands, open woodlands, and savannas across East Africa to help boost biodiversity. The squirrel lemur is one of the largest species of galagos, with the head-and-body length of 26 to 47 cm (32 cm on average), a tail length of 29 to 55 cm, and a weight of 0.5 to 2 kg. The squirrel lemur is a nocturnal omnivore that feeds on fruits, seeds, acacia gum, insects, scorpions, spiders, mollusks, frogs, lizards, bird eggs, small birds, and smaller mammals, although it is known to occasionally feed on man-made waste. During the day, it rests 5 to 12 meters above the ground in a dense tangle of creepers or in the hollow of a tree, rarely on an exposed branch. Female squirrel lemurs will make nests, leafy platforms with foliage above to shelter their young. An individual squirrel lemur may have several sleeping sites throughout its home range. At night, it emerges to forage for food. It moves quadrupedally through the trees or bush. This species is capable of short jumps from tree to tree when necessary. An individual squirrel lemur on average spends 50% of its time each night traveling and only about 20% of its time foraging. It will often follow the same patrol pathway every night. Squirrel lemur lifespan in captivity is 21 years or more, however, the life expectancy in the wild is usually lower. This species is solitary, living in a home range of a few hectares; however, there is some overlap with other individuals. Males have territories that overlap with a few females and females may have home ranges that overlap, but male territories generally do not overlap. Males tend to have a larger territory than females. The territory is marked by urine and a scent produced in a gland in the chest. Social interaction generally occurs at sites of range overlap, sites of large gum resources or prime sleeping trees. Social play is also exhibited by juveniles, sub adults and adult females with juveniles. Social grooming is absent in the squirrel lemur compared to other primate species. It is instead filled with a behavior known as reciprocal licking to clean each other's fur. Vocal communication is very important in squirrel lemur with significant research systematically identifying types of calls including: raucous cry call, alarm call, contact rejection calls, distress call, infant call, mother call, advertising call. During mating season which occurs in May, the female goes into estrus for approximately 2 weeks. She uses an advertising call to indicate her receptivity. Males approach and copulate repeatedly with the female and maintain intromission with the female for several hours. Mating patterns can be either monogamous or polygynous, often determined by the overlapping of host ranges and competing of males for best territories. Females typically give birth to 3 young, sometimes 2 or 4. The gestation period is on average 131 days. The female typically reaches sexual maturity by 2 years of age. Because of competition between males based upon size males usually reach reproductive age later than females. After birth, the mother leaves the young to forage and returns nourishing the young with nutrient rich milk. The juveniles typically remain with their mother until they reach close to sexual maturity. The conservation status of the squirrel lemur is Least Concern due to successful conservation efforts, the squirrel lemur's wide range and its tolerance to many of the human activities.
Category:Animals
Category:Species
Category:SciiFii