Profile
Class, order and family :
Mammalia, primates, lemuridae
Lifespan :
Up to 17 years in captivity
Height & weight :
from 85 to 90 cm / 2.2 to 2.5 kg
Gestation :
4.5 - 5 months
Natural habitat :
giant bamboo
Diet :
bamboo leaves, heart and fruit
Native region :
Madagascar
Statut UICN :
Critically Endangered (CR)
Lifestyle
This tree-dwelling species grows up in polygamous groups of 60 individuals according to a “fusion-fission” social system which still mystifies ethologists. They are cathemeral animals, active both at night and during the day. The great bamboo lemurs have seen 90% of their original forest disappear thanks to intensive deforestation and the expansion of mining. They can still be found in the rainforests of the eastern part of the island and the rural commune of Tsaratanana.
Anecdote
It was thought to be extinct when in 1986 several individuals were discovered in Kianjavato and Ranomafana National Park.
