Golden bamboo lemur

Golden Bamboo Lemur[1]
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Family: Lemuridae
Genus: Hapalemur
Species: H. aureus
Binomial name
Hapalemur aureus
(Meier, Albignac, Peyriéras, Rumpler & Wright, 1987)
Golden Bamboo Lemur range

The Golden Bamboo Lemur or Golden Lemur (Hapalemur aureus, Malagasy bokombolomena) is a medium sized bamboo lemur endemic to southeastern Madagascar. It is listed as an endangered species due to habitat loss. The population is declining with only about 1000 individuals. As its name indicates this lemur feeds almost exclusively on grasses especially the giant bamboo or Volohosy (Cathariostachys madagascariensis), which contains cyanide, particularly in its growing shoots.[3] The golden bamboo lemur in the wild consumes enough cyanide daily to kill a human.

The growing shoots of this bamboo contain 0.015% of cyanide. Each adult lemurs eats about 500g (18 oz) of bamboo per day, which should contain 12 times the lethal dose of cyanide. [4]

The Golden Bamboo Lemur is crepuscular. It is 37-39.5 cm long plus a tail of 37–41 cm and weighs between 1 and 1.5 kg.

Females give birth to one infant per year and breed every year. The gestation period is about 138 days.

References

  1. ^ Groves, C. (2005). Wilson, D. E., & Reeder, D. M, eds. ed. Mammal Species of the World (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 116. OCLC 62265494. ISBN 0-801-88221-4. http://www.bucknell.edu/msw3/browse.asp?id=12100050. 
  2. ^ Andrainarivo, C., Andriaholinirina, V. N., Feistner, A., Felix, T., Ganzhorn, J., Garbutt, N., Golden, C., Konstant, B., Louis Jr., E., Meyers, D., Mittermeier, R. A., Perieras, A., Princee, F., Rabarivola, J. C., Rakotosamimanana, B., Rasamimanana, H., Ratsimbazafy, J., Raveloarinoro, G., Razafimanantsoa, A., Rumpler, Y., Schwitzer, C., Thalmann, U., Wilmé, L. & Wright, P. (2008). Hapalemur aureus. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 1 January 2009.
  3. ^ http://www.edgeofexistence.org/mammals/species_info.php?id=23 152. Golden Bamboo Lemur (Hapalemur aureus)
  4. ^ http://www.animalinfo.org/species/primate/hapaaure.htm

External links