Malagasy ape

The **Malagasy ape** (*Panopithelemur anthropoides*), also known as the **chimpanzee lemur** and the **bonobo lemur**, is a species of lemur, despite its name, that originally did not exist, but has since been created by SciiFii and introduced throughout the tropical and subtropical forested habitats, mainly rainforests, across the island of Madagascar to help boost biodiversity. The Malagasy ape is most closely related to the gorilla lemur (*Archaeoindris gorillamimus*). The Malagasy ape is a large and robust lemur species, weighing 40–70 kilograms (88–154 lbs) for males and 27–50 kilograms (60–110 lbs) for females and standing 120 to 150 centimeters (3 feet 11 inches to 4 feet 11 inches) when on hind legs. The Malagasy ape is an omnivorous frugivore that prefers fruit above all other food items, but will also eat leaves, leaf buds, seeds, blossoms, stems, pith, bark, and resin. While the Malagasy ape is mostly herbivorous, it does eat honey, soil, insects, birds and their eggs, and small to medium-sized mammals, including other lemurs. Insect species consumed include the weaver ants, *Macrotermes* termites, and honey bees. The common brown lemur ranks at the top of preferred mammal prey. Other mammalian prey include ring-tailed lemurs, infant and juvenile baboons lemurs, mouse lemurs, feral goats, feral donkeys, and bushpigs. The Malagasy ape has an advanced cognitive map of its home range and can repeatedly find food. The Malagasy ape builds a sleeping nest in a tree in a different location each night, never using the same nest more than once. Malagasy apes sleep alone in separate nests except for infants or juvenile Malagasy apes, which sleep with their mothers.

Malagasy apes live in communities that typically range from around 20 to more than 150 members but spend most of their time traveling in small, temporary groups consisting of a few individuals. These groups may consist of any combination of age and sexes. Both males and females sometimes travel alone. This fission-fusion society may include groups of four types: all-male, adult females and offspring, adults of both sexes, or one female and her offspring. These smaller groups emerge in a variety of types, for a variety of purposes. For example, an all-male troop may be organised to hunt for meat, while a group consisting of lactating females serves to act as a "nursery group" for the young. At the core of social structures are males, which patrol the territory, protect group members, and search for food. Males remain in their natal communities, while females generally emigrate at adolescence. Males in a community are more likely to be related to one another than females are to each other. Among males, there is generally a dominance hierarchy, and males are dominant over females. However, this unusual fission-fusion social structure, "in which portions of the parent group may on a regular basis separate from and then rejoin the rest," is highly variable in terms of which particular individual Malagasy apes congregate at a given time. This is caused mainly by the large measure of individual autonomy that individuals have within their fission-fusion social groups. As a result, individual Malagasy apes often forage for food alone, or in smaller groups, as opposed to the much larger "parent" group, which encompasses all the Malagasy apes which regularly come into contact with each other and congregate into parties in a particular area. Male Malagasy apes exist in a linear dominance hierarchy. Top-ranking males tend to be aggressive even during dominance stability. This is probably due to the Malagasy ape's fission-fusion society, with male Malagasy apes leaving groups and returning after extended periods of time. With this, a dominant male is unsure if any "political maneuvering" has occurred in his absence and must re-establish his dominance. Thus, a large amount of aggression occurs within five to fifteen minutes after a reunion. During these encounters, displays of aggression are generally preferred over physical attacks.

Malagasy apes mate throughout the year, although the number of females in oestrus varies seasonally in a group. Female Malagasy apes are more likely to come into oestrus when food is readily available. Copulation is brief, lasting approximately seven seconds. The gestation period is eight months. Care for the young is provided mostly by their mothers. The survival and emotional health of the young is dependent on maternal care. Mothers provide their young with food, warmth, and protection, and teach them certain skills. In addition, a Malagasy ape's future rank may be dependent on its mother's status. Male Malagasy apes continue to associate with the females they impregnated and interact with and support their offsping. Newborn Malagasy apes are helpless. For example, their grasping reflex is not strong enough to support them for more than a few seconds. For their first 30 days, infants cling to their mother's bellies. Infants are unable to support their own weight for their first two months and need their mothers' support. When they reach five to six months, infants ride on their mothers' backs. They remain in continual contact for the rest of their first year. When they reach two years of age, they are able to move and sit independently and start moving beyond the arms' reach of their mothers. By four to six years, Malagasy apes are weaned and infancy ends. The juvenile period for Malagasy apes lasts from their sixth to ninth years. Juveniles remain close to their mothers, but interact an increasing amount with other members of their community. Adolescent females move between groups and are supported by their mothers in agonistic encounters. Adolescent males spend time with adult males in social activities like hunting and boundary patrolling. Males can safely immigrate to a new group if accompanied by immigrant females who have an existing relationship with this male. This gives the resident males reproductive advantages with these females, as they are more inclined to remain in the group if their male friend is also accepted. The average lifespan of a Malagasy ape in the wild is relatively short, usually less than 15 years, although individuals that reach 12 years may live an additional 15 years. On rare occasions, wild Malagasy apes may live nearly 60 years. Captive Malagasy apes tend to live longer than most wild ones, with median lifespans of 31.7 years for males and 38.7 years for females. The oldest known male captive Malagasy ape to have been documented lived to 70 years, and the oldest female, Big Red, was over 74 years old.

The conservation status of the Malagasy ape is **Vulnerable** due to habitat loss and historical poaching, however, thanks to successful conservation efforts, the Malagasy ape is a highly protected species, having an increasing population trend.