Lac Alaotra bamboo lemur

Habitat

Reed beds and papyrus marshes

Food

Papyrus, grass and seeds

Weight

± 1.5 kg

Age

± 12 years

IUCN Status

Ernstig bedreigd

Appearance

Lac Alaotra bamboo lemurs are prosimians. You can recognise them by their pointy noses with a wet tip. They have brown, woolly fur and scent glands on their forearms, near their armpits and around their genitals. Bamboo lemurs use these glands to communicate their territory to other lemurs.

Habitat

In the wild, Lac Alaotra bamboo lemurs live on the African island Madagascar. This is the only place in the world where this species exists! They live in marshes, reed beds and papyrus fields near the Alaotra lake, which is the largest lake in Madagascar.

Social organisation

Lac Alaotra bamboo lemurs live in small family groups. Family groups usually consist of one adult male and one or more female(s) together with their offspring. Females are dominant over males, as is common among most prosimians. This means females often have the first right to the tastiest bites and make decisions on travel routes.

Behaviour

Lac Alaotra bamboo lemurs communicate in various ways; they use scent to mark their territory and communicate by making vocalisations. Calls like ‘weak grunts’ maintain group cohesion, and when threatened, the lemurs produce a loud and powerful warning call that sounds like ‘creee!’. Lac Alaotra bamboo lemurs maintain social bonds by grooming each other. For this, they use their specialised lower teeth, that works like a dental comb.

Reproduction

Female Lac Alaotra bamboo lemurs can reproduce at the age of two years. Their infants are born with grey fur and in the first two weeks of their life, they require all the help they can get. After that, they become more independent, but will still seek out their moms for nursing. Females with infants are very protective of their young; during this time you better stay away! Male offspring will stay in their natal group for about three years, but female offspring may already leave at the age of two. Both will search for a partner to start their own family group.

Situation in the wild

Lac Alaotra bamboo lemurs are critically endangered in the wild. In 2018, the species was even declared one of the top 25 most endangered primate species in the world! Habitat destruction is one of the main reasons they are threatened. For example, the papyrus fields they live in are burned to create rice fields for humans. Unfortunately, people living in Madagascar are often very poor, and these rice fields provide food and income for local communities.

At Apenheul

There are various (sub)species of bamboo lemurs. The species living at Apenheul is a rare sight. In the whole of Europe, there are only about 55 of these Lac Alaotra bamboo lemurs that can be admired in zoos! The Lac Alaotra bamboo lemurs at Apenheul share their enclosure with another prosimian species, the crowned sifakas.

Population management programme

The Lac Alaotra bamboo lemurs at Apenheul Primate Park are part of an EAZA Ex situ Programme (EEP), which is a population management program for animal species in zoos. Collaborations between (inter)national zoos are crucial to ensure genetically healthy and demographically stable populations of species in zoos. This makes sure animals can serve both as representatives of their counterparts in the wild for educational-, conservational- and research purposes, as well as a backup population of endangered species.

Fun facts

The species name ‘bamboo lemur’ may suggest these animals mainly eat bamboo. However, in the wild, bamboo no longer grows alongside the Alaotra lake. Therefore, Lac Alaotra bamboo lemurs mostly eat reed and papyrus. At Apenheul however, bamboo ís still part of their diet
Fun to watch: during the first weeks of their lives, Lac Alaotra bamboo lemur infants are carried in the mouth of their mother when she is moving them.