#microcebus murinus

Photographer: Arjan Haverkamp

GRAY MOUSE LEMUR FACTS

Description 

There are many puzzling wonders in the world of animals, and the Gray Mouse Lemur is just one of them. They are very small and different from other Lemurs. They may look like rodents which is where the name comes from, but they are primates. DNA testing has been able to confirm that beyond the shadow of any doubt.

  Anatomy 

They are extremely small – the smallest of all species of Lemurs. The maximum weight of them is only about 2 ounces. There have been quite a few subspecies identified too. This particular one is the largest of those little critters! 

Gray Mouse Lemur are gray in color and that can be a dark gray, a light gray, or something in between. They often have red tint to them in the dry season to help them blend into the surroundings. During that period of time though many people don’t realize what they are. 

They have a black stripe that is found down the back side of their bodies. They also have a powerful tail that is very long. It helps them to stay balanced and to be able to vertically leap very far. They have a bushy tip on that tail that is also very thin and light. The large eyes and short nose give them a distinct appearance. 

For a Lemur so small they have to rely on their senses to find food and avoid predators. They have very good vision as well as very good sense of smell. They have very strong survival instincts that allow them to find places to hide, to find food, and to stay out of reach of predators.

  Evolution 

The process of evolution for the Lemurs is full of questions and mystery. That is even more true of the Gray Mouse Lemur as we haven’t found older fossils for them like we have with other species. Did they develop on Madagascar Island from breaking off from another species? Did they come from Africa where other Lemurs came from? We need to find fossils to know more. 

There is really no hard evidence to work with when it comes to the evolution of the Gray Mouse Lemur. Experts can take the information we have and view it in different ways. Still, they believe that one day the finding of fossils and more advances in technology will help us to figure out where they came from.

  Behavior 

The Gray Mouse Lemur is comfortable being active at night. They are able to get out there and find food. They move very quickly too so that they can stay out of danger. The large eyes make adjusting to the darkness easy for them. They are isolated in their living conditions. They don’t have a zest for socialization as other primates do. 

Nesting occurs in the trees as this offers them a haven from predators while they sleep during the day. They often do nest very close to each other and that is why it was once believed that they did form family units as other Lemurs do. 

They have another significant difference too. They hibernate during the dry season to help them avoid starving. There simply isn’t enough food at that time and their predators are struggling to find more food too. There are very few primates known to hibernate.

  Habitat and Distribution 

You will only find the Gray Mouse Lemur in Madagascar Islands. You have to be able to search for them though as they blend into the trees so well. They only remain in a nest for up to 5 days. You may find lots of empty nests in the trees as you search for them. This is a sure sign that they are around somewhere. 

This movement allows them to have better opportunities for finding food. It also allows them to reduce detection from their bodies giving off strong odors. Some people have stated finding these Lemurs on the ground. However, experts believe that is only the case if they fell out of a nest or they were taken from those nests and placed on the ground by humans. 

They have a very diverse distribution in their natural habitat. Some of them are found in the forest but a large number of them live in the desert. They want to be where the heat is as hot as possible. They seem to do well with environmental changes which is part of why they have been able to survive even in some harsh conditions at times.

  Diet and Feeding Habits 

There are many small insects that the Gray Mouse Lemur is able to eat in their natural environment. They will also seek out a variety of different fruits that they love to eat. They seem to go around their home range in a pattern that allows them to take advantage of what fruits are offered for given times of the year. 

They will also consume nectar from flowers. They don’t need much food to survive but they goal is to get fattened up before hibernation. They will eat as much as they can so that their bodies have extra fat for that period of time.

  Reproduction  

Mating season is in the spring but there is a very small window for it to take place. The females are only in estrus for about three days. If they don’t find a male to mate with then that opportunity is gone until next year. The females are only fertile for about the first 5 years. If they live longer than that they won’t be able to produce any offspring. 

After mating it can take from 50 to 60 days for the one or two young to arrive. There is a mortality rate of more than half all of the young. It takes them only two months to mature. They will be able to find their own food at that point in time.

  Predators

More than 25% of the Gray Mouse Lemurs are consumed annually by the Barn Owl and the Madagascar Low Eared Owl. They heavily depend on these Lemurs as part of their diet. There are dangers from various types of snakes that live in the same trees where these Lemurs are located. Sometimes there are concerns due to the mongoose, wild cats called the Fossa and domestic dogs. 

Humans tend to not see the value of the Gray Mouse Lemur for the environment though. They see them as a rodent rather than a primate. They also feel that the frequent nests that they create are going to damage the trees. Many of those trees are cleared away for farming and for other human needs. 

The low rate of reproduction and the high mortality rate are huge barriers for conservation teams to look at. They have been trying to get the numbers higher through controlled breeding. They make sure male and female pairs are in the same vicinity it captivity. They also do their best to help ensure the young are able to become mature. 

Removing the threat of natural predators has been very helpful. However, there is still plenty more than has to be done in order for these Lemurs to have a chance at a future in the wild. 

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Mausmaki by Joachim S. Müller on Flickr.