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Habitat Utilization of Three Sympatric Cheirogaleid Lemur Species in a Littoral Rain Forest of Southeastern Madagascar

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Abstract

I compared the habitat utilization in 3 sympatric species of Cheirogaleidae (Microcebus murinus [81 g], Cheirogaleus medius [183 g] and Cheirogaleus major [362 g]) in a littoral rain forest in southeastern Madagascar during 3 rainy seasons. Females of promiscuous Microcebus murinus had small home ranges and the males had large overlapping home ranges. Home ranges of family groups of monogamous Cheirogaleus medius and C. major overlapped extensively. Home ranges of all 3 species overlapped completely in the study area but home range sizes differed among species and correlate positively with body masses. Male Microcebus murinus slept in open vegetation (79%) and alone (71%), whereas female M. murinus and family group members of Cheirogaleus spp. preferred communal sleeping in tree holes. There are significant interspecific differences in the choice of sleeping sites: smaller lemurs chose smaller trees and used more sleeping sites than larger lemurs did. Species also differed significantly in the vertical dimension of forest utilization: Cheirogaleus major used the upper part of the trees, C. medius used the middle parts, and Microcebus murinus used the understory during nocturnal activities. The 3 species differed mainly in vertical habitat utilization and showed vertical stratification.

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Acknowledgments

I conducted the study under the accord de Collaboration among the Département de Paléonthologie et Anthropologie, the Département Biologie Animale of the Université d’Antananarivo, and the Department of Animal Ecology and Conservation, University of Hamburg. I acknowledge especially the late Madame Berthe Rakotosamimanana and Madame Gisèle Randria from the University of Antananarivo for their support. I thank the Commission Tripartite and the Ministère pour la Production Animale et des Eaux et Forêts for their permission to work in Madagascar. I acknowledge QIT Madagascar Minerals and their environmental team, headed by Manon Vincelette and Jean-Baptiste Ramanamanjato, for their help and support. I thank Refaly Ernest and Andry Rajaonson for assistance during the trapping sessions and Andreas Hapke for his ideas and previous experiments in capturing of Cheirogaleidae in Mandena. Finally I thank Jörg Ganzhorn for his support and comments. The DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) supported the study.

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  1. Department of Animal Ecology and Conservation, Biozentrum Grindel, University Hamburg, 20146, Hamburg, Germany

    Petra Lahann

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Lahann, P. Habitat Utilization of Three Sympatric Cheirogaleid Lemur Species in a Littoral Rain Forest of Southeastern Madagascar. Int J Primatol 29, 117–134 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10764-007-9138-4

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