Brown Mouse Lemur
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| Brown Mouse Lemur[1] | ||||||||||||||
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| Microcebus rufus É. Geoffroy, 1834 |
The Brown Mouse Lemur (Microcebus rufus) is a small primate, and like the other mouse lemurs can only be found on the island of Madagascar. They are known also as the Red Mouse Lemur, the Eastern Rufous Mouse Lemur or the Russet Mouse Lemur. Its dorsal side is brown or reddish-brown, while ventrally it is a whitish-grey.
It was originally considered a subspecies of the Gray Mouse Lemur (Microcebus murinus) until 1977, when it was reclassified as a separate species.
The mouse lemurs are among the shortest-lived of primates. The Brown Mouse Lemur has a lifespan of 6-8 years in the wild, although it averages 12 years under human care.[3]
It can be found in rainforests in Eastern Madagascar, and is widely distributed. It is a solitary and nocturnal creature.
[edit] References
- ^ Groves, Colin (16 November 2005). in Wilson, D. E., and Reeder, D. M. (eds): Mammal Species of the World, 3rd edition, Johns Hopkins University Press, 113. ISBN 0-801-88221-4.
- ^ Ganzhorn et al (2000). Microcebus rufus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 12 May 2006.
- ^ Animal Diversity Web. Retrieved on 2008-03-26.
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