Crowned lemur

Description

The crowned lemur is endemic to the dry deciduous forests of the northern tip of Madagascar.It eats a diet of mostly flowers,fruits,and leaves.The population is estimated to 1000–10,000 individuals as of 2004,most of which live within the Ankarana Plateau although there is also a population on the Montagne d'Ambre.This species has a distinctive brown-orange crown on the top of the head.Females have a gray body with an orange crown,and males are a darker reddish brown,crowned with black and orange.Crowned lemurs have a life span of approximately 20 years and reach sexual maturity after 20 months.They give birth usually in late September or early October,after a gestation period of 125 days.The crowned lemur is in the order of Primates as it possesses characteristics such as pseudo-opposable thumbs,binocular vision and is highly intelligent.E.coronatus shares with others of the family Lemuridae long and slender limbs,a slightly longer nose,a smaller brain and a 'grooming comb' formed by the incisors and canine teeth.The crowned lemur possesses a long non-prehensile tail used for balance when jumping from branch to branch and for communication within the closely knit,female-led social group.This member of the Eulemur genus is primarily diurnal but has periods of feeding activity at night too.