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Daily Torpor in Free-Ranging Gray Mouse Lemurs (Microcebus murinus) in Madagascar

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Abstract

I aimed to determine when and under which seasonal environmental conditions gray mouse lemurs (Microcebus murinus), a small nocturnal primate species endemic to Madagascar, utilize daily torpor. Using temperature-sensitive radio collars, I measured skin temperature (T sk ) of free-ranging mouse lemurs under natural conditions. My results showed that male and female mouse lemurs in the wild enter torpor spontaneously over a wide range of ambient temperatures (T a ) during the dry season, but not during the rainy season. Mouse lemurs that remained normothermic had significantly lower body masses (mean: 59.7 g) than individuals that used torpor (mean: 80.2 g). Skin temperatures dropped to 20.9°C and the mean torpor bout duration is 10.3 h. The use of torpor on a given night varied among individuals, whereas the propensity for torpor did not differ significantly between males and females. I found no evidence that T a can be used to predict whether mouse lemurs will remain normothermic or enter torpor. It appears that the most reliable indicator for the occurrence of torpor in free-ranging Microcebus murinus is time of the year, i.e., photoperiod.

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  1. Aberdeen Centre for Energy Regulation and Obesity (ACERO), Department of Zoology, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, AB24 2TZ, UK

    Jutta Schmid

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Schmid, J. Daily Torpor in Free-Ranging Gray Mouse Lemurs (Microcebus murinus) in Madagascar. International Journal of Primatology 22, 1021–1031 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1012069706237

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