The only confirmed predator of the greater bamboo lemurs are fossa, although certain raptors are also suspected to prey on lemurs. Human hunters also have been known to target lemurs, including this species.
Known Predators:
Greater bamboo lemurs are the largest bamboo-eating lemurs found in Madagascar. They have a head and body length of 40 to 45 cm and a tail length of 43 to 48 cm. Their tails and back legs are relatively long. Females weigh up to 2.1 kg whereas males weigh up to 2.4 kg. Their coat color ranges from a reddish-grey to an olive brown. A prominent feature of this species is the presence of tufts of white fur by their ears. However, a recently discovered population of this species, golden bamboo lemurs, have a deep golden-red coat and surprisingly no ear tufts. Greater bamboo lemurs have a blunt muzzle which gives their face a rounded appearance distinguishing them from other members of their family.
Range mass: 2.1 to 2.4 kg.
Range length: 40 to 45 cm.
Sexual Dimorphism: male larger
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; bilateral symmetry
The lifespan of greater bamboo lemurs is currently unknown.
Greater bamboo lemurs reside in humid primary rainforests in which giant bamboo trees are abundant. They make their homes in bamboo thickets. This species has been recorded at elevations of 121 to 1,600 m.
Range elevation: 121 to 1600 m.
Habitat Regions: tropical
Terrestrial Biomes: rainforest
Greater bamboo lemurs have two calls used for communication: the contact call and the alarm call. The contact call is a powerful yelping sound that acts as a group-cohesion signal. Its intensity rises and falls rapidly with the progression of the call. The alarm call is sounded when individual lemurs are disturbed or frightened by other animals in the forest. It begins as a low-pitched roar that decreases in intensity the longer the call lasts. The alarm call has 2 parts, which sound something like "ouik-grrraaa," that are emitted in rapid sequences.
Communication Channels: acoustic
Perception Channels: visual ; tactile ; chemical
Currently, greater bamboo lemurs have the smallest population size of any other lemur species in Madagascar. In 20 years of regional surveys, only 12 groups of greater bamboo lemurs totaling less than 100 individuals have been documented. In Ranomafana National Park during a 400 day census only 3 groups were found totaling 20 individuals. Their habitat is threatened by slash-and-burn agriculture, illegal logging, and the extensive cutting down of bamboo. In some areas greater bamboo lemurs are being hunted with slingshots and snares. The IUCN lists this species are critically endangered.
US Federal List: endangered
CITES: appendix i
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: critically endangered
There are no known adverse effects of Prolemur simus on humans.
Because the the greater bamboo lemur is endemic to Madagascar and endangered, they may play a role in the tourism economy of Madagascar.
Positive Impacts: ecotourism
Greater bamboo lemurs may act as seed dispersers for bamboo and other plants. They are also prey to fossa. Very little research, however, has been conducted regarding how this species impacts the local ecosystem.
Ecosystem Impact: disperses seeds
98% of the diet of greater bamboo lemurs consists of the bamboo species Cathariostachys madagascariensis, giant bamboo. Greater bamboo lemurs have molars specialized for bamboo. It is unknown how their metabolism processes the cyanide found in bamboo shoots; the amount consumed in one day would be enough to kill a human. Feeding habits of greater bamboo lemurs vary with the season. Between July and November these lemurs consume the pith of the giant bamboo. They have powerful jaws which are used to tear apart the wooden bamboo poles and obtain the soft pith inside. In December when the new bamboo starts appearing, this species switches to bamboo shoots. The other 2 % of its diet consists of flowers, leaves, soils, and fruits. The greater bamboo lemur also eats mature leaves that the other bamboo lemur species will not.
Plant Foods: leaves; fruit; flowers
Other Foods: detritus
Primary Diet: herbivore (Folivore )
Greater bamboo lemurs, Prolemur simus, are currently endemic to Madagascar. Although subfossil remains indicate they once had a widespread distribution covering the northern, north-western, central, and eastern parts of Madagascar, this species currently occupies only 1 to 4 % of its original historical habitat. Greater bamboo lemurs are generally restricted to the protected areas of Ranomafana National Park located in southeastern Madagascar. Sightings of these lemurs are few although there have been a few sightings of lemur populations living in the Andringrita Massif and near Vondrozo in Madagascar.
Biogeographic Regions: ethiopian (Native )
Other Geographic Terms: island endemic
Greater bamboo lemurs are polygynous, but little other information is available regarding the mating systems of this species.
Mating System: polygynous
Greater bamboo lemurs mate between May and June, and they give birth during the transitional dry and wet seasons in November. The average gestation period is 142 to 149 days. Each female gives birth to only 1 young. The young are weaned after about 8 months, and male offspring disperse from their natal social group between 3 and 4 years of age.
Breeding season: Greater bamboo lemurs mate between May and June.
Average number of offspring: 1.
Range gestation period: 142 to 149 days.
Average weaning age: 8 months.
Range time to independence: 3 to 4 years.
Key Reproductive Features: gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; viviparous
Mother greater bamboo lemurs take care of their young and remain with them until they are about 5 weeks old. Between 7 and 8 weeks of age, the infant nurses less and begins to explore areas farther away from its mother.
Parental Investment: female parental care ; pre-hatching/birth (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female); pre-weaning/fledging (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female)
The greater bamboo lemur (Hapalemur simus), also known as the broad-nosed bamboo lemur and the broad-nosed gentle lemur, is a species of lemur endemic to the island of Madagascar.
Originally described as Hapalemur (Prolemur) simus by John Edward Gray in 1870,[4] it was regarded simply as Hapalemur simus as early as 1880.[5] With the understanding that this species is more closely related to the ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta) than to the other Hapalemur species, Colin Groves resurrected Prolemur as a full genus in 2001, with this species as its only member.[6] More recent research by Herrera and Dávalos (2016) indicates that the species is sister to all of Hapalemur, and that Lemur is sister to Hapalemur + simus, and that it should remain in Hapalemur.[7]
The greater bamboo lemur is the largest bamboo lemur, at over 5 lb (2.3 kg). It has greyish brown fur and white ear tufts, and has a head-body length of around 1.5 ft (46 cm). They have relatively long tails and long back legs for leaping vertically amongst the trees of their forest habitat.
Its only confirmed predators are the fossa and the bush pigs,[8] but raptors are also suspected. Protection from predators, avoiding parasite vectors, and enhanced thermoregulation are three theories that are not mutually exclusive to explain the selection of sleeping location.[9] The fossa hunts the Great bamboo lemurs in large numbers. As a result, the lemurs must maintain a secure sleeping environment, such as tree holes and constructed nests.
Its current range is restricted to southeastern Madagascar, although fossils indicate its former range extended across bigger areas of the island, including as far north as Ankarana.[10][11] Some notable parts of the current range are the Ranomafana[12] and Andringitra National Parks.
Greater bamboo lemurs live in groups of up to 28. Individuals are extremely gregarious. The species may be the only lemur in which the male is dominant, although this is not certain. Because of their social nature, greater bamboo lemurs have at least seven different calls. Males have been observed taking bamboo pith away from females that had put significant effort into opening the bamboo stems. In captivity, greater bamboo lemurs have lived over the age of 17.[13]
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It feeds almost exclusively on the bamboo species of Cathariostachys madagascariensis, preferring the shoots but also eating the pith and leaves. It is unknown how their metabolism deals with the cyanide found in the shoots. The typical daily dose would be enough to kill humans. Greater bamboo lemurs occasionally consume fungi, flowers, and fruit. Its main food source is bamboo and it is the main reason why it has become critically endangered.[14][8] Areas with high density of bamboo have major human disturbances, where humans cut or illegally cut down bamboo.[15]
The greater bamboo lemur (Hapalemur simus), is one of the world's most critically endangered primates, according to the IUCN Red List. Scientists believed that it was extinct, but a remnant population was discovered in 1986.[16] Since then, surveys of south- and central-eastern Madagascar have found about 500 individuals in 11 subpopulations.[1] The home range of the species is likewise drastically reduced. The current range is less than 4 percent of its historic distribution. The reason for the endangerment is climate change and human activities which depleted the primary food source (bamboo). Greater bamboo lemur is a part of prosimian species, which appeared even before monkeys. This species of lemur is not capable of adapting to the rapidly changing habitat. Human activities and climate change have resulted in the depletion of populations and resulted in a few remaining patches of forest capable of supporting this species. The species is endangered by the following: slash and burn farming, mining, bamboo, and other logging, and slingshot hunting.[13] It was formerly one of "The World's 25 Most Endangered Primates."[17]
The greater bamboo lemur (Hapalemur simus), also known as the broad-nosed bamboo lemur and the broad-nosed gentle lemur, is a species of lemur endemic to the island of Madagascar.
