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<< Back News for the month of November 2003 Lemur Cams - Is that a BALD HEADED LEMUR? Well it is November again, and here at the Sanctuary that means "Lemur Breeding" season. Especially where the Ruffed Lemurs are concerned! This is also a time when the political atmosphere of the Ruffed Lemur habitats start changing drastically. As discussed in previous Sanctuary Chronicles, lemur society is primarily based on Female Dominance, where in most cases the males are submissive to the females. One does not have to watch the 'lemur cams' for long to notice the males giving way to the Alfa female in the group. This submissive behavior can be observed throughout the majority of the year. The "Breeding Season," should prove to be extremely exciting to those hard-core behaviorist out there that really know how to pay attention. This is a time when you will see normal yearly behaviors change. This is a time when you will start seeing the males initiating antagonistic behaviors towards the females. This is a time when adult male Ruffed lemurs often become VERY aggressive towards other subordinate lemurs and their multi-species habitat companions. Most of all, this is a time when they can get very nasty to Dave and I ;-) ! So far this season has been mild concerning lemur on human aggression. Well, with the exception of ?you know who?, SHREDDER! Thus his name! This year, Shredder has really earned his name. Not that David and I have been bit. We haven't! Although this is true, Shredder definitely makes his intentions of aggression perfectly clear. To most people this sounds scary! To David and I, it makes us proud. Why are we proud when one of our beloved children shows extreme aggression towards us, you may ask? We are proud because our habitats, diets, vet care, and enriching environments cater so specifically to Shredder?s needs that he simulates the exact same natural behaviors as his wild cousins in Madagascar! This is truly David and my ultimate husbandry goal! Now that I pointed this out, try to observe Shredder becoming more and more aggressive to the lizards sharing his habitat! All threw the year you have seen the Ruffed Lemurs actively seek David and my attention. Jumping 15 feet or more into our arms to have their armpits scratched. Ruffed lemurs, stereotypically are extremely loving lemurs. It is during the breading season that things change for both female and male Ruffed lemurs. A few weeks before the females go into estrus the adult males go threw a hormonal change of their own. During this time they go threw a period of drastically increased testosterone levels! This can be visually verified quite obviously by looking as his enlarged ?You Know What?s?, which often double in size. This aggressive tendency usually lasts between 2 to 4 months depending on the individual. This drastic seasonal increase in testosterone also goes hand in hand with Shredder?s aggression. This is very similar to the ?Roid Rage?, typicaly experienced by human bodybuilders who use excessive steroids. Although he threatens David and I as well as the other habitat inhabitants, Shredder is never really NASTY to Echo. His hormonal level just gives him more confidence to approach and beg her for sex! Of course, 99% of the time he is shot down! ?Crash & Burn? as Tom Cruise would say ;-). One of the ways in which he is shot down is actually the reason I mentioned the ?Bald Lemur? in the title. Ruffed lemurs have a combative ?Boxing? behavior. I know many of you have already seen this behavior on our cams because some of you have sent David and I some great ?SNAP SHOTS?, taken from the web cams. Thanks bye the way! Back to the "BALD LEMUR?! During the female Ruffed lemurs estrus cycle, the female is only receptive for a very short window of time during her multi day estrus. In most cases, the female will refuse the males advances until she is actually receptive. Her refusals are often accompanied by Boxing Matches, where they both raise on their hind legs and frantically slap at each other. When these so called matches occur, the male usually ends up the worser of the two. In Shredder?s case, this can be seen by his small ?Bald Spot? behind his left ear were Echo got a handful of hair. Thus, the BALD LEMUR title for this Chronicle. This so called ?Boxing? behavior almost never results in actual harm to either animal with the exception of some mild hair loss here and there. Anyhow, I am sure I have told you WAY more then you ever wanted to know about lemur rage and seasonal hormonal levels, so I will stop while I am hopefully ahead of the game. I would like to end this Chronicle as I do so many of the others; with a plea for your help and support in our efforts to constantly improve both the lives of our residents and our mission to spread a global interest in wildlife protection and conservation. Please visit our gift shop! While I am on this subject, I would like to send a personal thank you out to Cathy, the Sanctuary?s biggest friend and supporter to date! Cathy, David and I both thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your kind contributions. The Sanctuary only wishes we had more fans like you! Fans that actually give back to the cause! Again, we both thank you as well as all of the remarkable lives here that you have helped. Bye the way, the lemurs owe you a thank you as well for their new red wrapped feeding decks! Before I go, I just want to give everyone a quick update on the highly anticipated EDUCATIONAL VIDEO SERIES, David and I have launched! All three have been fully edited, with their final proofing complete. The final "Master" copies are being mailed to the production house to be reproduced, printed, packaged and shrink wrapped in early December. We will definitely put them up on our gift shop the moment they are received by us. In the mean time, please keep watching and learning!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Story by: Jason and David |
