Fat-tailed Dwarf Lemur

 The species of dwarf lemur found at the DLC, Cheirogaleus medius, is native to the dry deciduous forests of western and southern Madagascar. These small lemurs can live in primary forests, established secondary forests as well as the gallery forest of the southern spiny desert. Typically solitary foragers, the dwarf lemurs have a diverse diet consisting mostly of fruit and flower nectar. While they are thought to be less carnivorous than mouse lemurs, they too eat insects and small vertebrates. Dwarf lemurs may be responsible for pollinating some species of baobab trees. In addition, they play an important role in the ecology of the tropical forest by aiding in the dispersal of small seeds. As a part of their normal scent marking routine, dwarf lemurs often smear feces onto branches as they walk along well-traveled arboreal pathways through the forest, thereby providing a perfect microclimate for the germination of parasitic plants common in the forest. The fat-tailed dwarf lemur, Cheirogaleus medius, can increase its body weight by 75g (about 40%) at a time. It effectively gorges during times of food abundance, to prepare for Madagascar’s dry season when its diet of fruits and flowers is scarce. In the winter months, most dwarf lemurs enter a state of torpor. While mouse lemurs also enter into a winter torpor, only dwarf lemurs experience it for such a long time each year. Neither captive nor wild mouse and dwarf lemurs actually hibernate, but they do experience a slow-down in their metabolic rates and show a marked decrease in activity and appetite which may last for up to six months. During this period of increased torpor, these lemurs live off of fat stored in their tails. Dwarf lemurs forage in solitude at night. During the day they congregate, in packs of up to five to a tree hole, while they sleep. The composition of these sleeping groups changes seasonally, and often animals do choose to sleep alone. Sleeping sites generally consist of hollow trees, whose cavities have been cushioned with leaves. Otherwise, they are spherical nests made of dead leaves concealed in heavy undergrowth. Females generally occupy “home ranges” in central areas of a group’s range, while a single male may overlap his home range with those of several females. Female prosimians, in general, are considered dominant to males.