My Temple of Nature: Minnie Mouse Lemurs
I recently watched a TV program about Madagascar and it reminded me of how much I like lemurs. Lemurs are only found in Madagascar, the fourth largest island in the world located off of Africa, and there are at least 100 different species. I've already done a post on aye-ayes (see Accolades for Aye-ayes) which is one of the most unusual and oldest of the lemur species, but the program also renewed my love of mouse lemurs. There are around 15 species of mouse lemurs and some have just been discovered in the past decade. The pygmy mouse lemur has been surpassed by the recently discovered Madame Berthe's mouse lemur as the smallest primate on the planet, with a body length of only 3 or 4 inches and weighing in at around one ounce. Its big eyes are due to its nocturnal nature, its cuteness due to its lemur-ness! Mouse lemurs' diet consists of fruit, flowers and insects. They spend nearly all of their life in the trees, sometimes sleeping in a hole or nest during the day, but more commonly just sleeping in the branches, and hunting at night. Some mouse lemur species hibernate - not because of cold weather, but during the dry season when food resources are low. They store fat in their back legs and tail and take a three or four month nap. Some mouse lemurs also go into torpor during the day to save energy.
Have you ever visited the Duke Lemur Center in Durham, North Carolina? They have the largest colony of captive lemurs in the world and about 20 different diurnal and nocturnal lemurs. Won't see mouse lemurs, but you can see fat-tailed dwarf lemurs which are very tiny also. I do question who gets the distinction of "tiniest lemur?" Madame Berthe's weigh in at 30 grams, pygmy mouse weighs in at 43; Madame Berthe head-body length is 9-9.5 cm, Pygmy mouse head-body length is 12-13cm. (According to Mittermeier et al. 2010. Lemurs of Madagascar. 3rd ed.)
I'm Carolyn. Welcome to my blog. Its intent is to honor the diversity of our natural world and my connection to it. In my posts, I may include links to organizations related to the topic. By providing these links, does not necessarily mean I endorse these organizations or their practices, but are informational only. Unless otherwise noted, all images and words are my own. Please do not use any of my original images or text without my approval. Thanks!Pygmy Mouse Lemur - Bookshelf
Beacham's guide to international endangered species
Pygmy Mouse Lemur Microcebus myoxinus Status Listed Family Description Habitat ... Taxonomy for the pygmy mouse lemur was disputed until 1992 when it was ...The primate family tree, the amazing diversity of our closest relatives
Dwarf and Mouse Lemurs Scientists have recently uncovered a staggering diversity ... During the months leading up to estivation, most dwarf and mouse lemurs ...Encyclopedia of endangered species
Pygmy mouse lemur Microcebus myoxinus Phylum Vertebrata Class Mammalia Order Primates Family ... The pygmy mouse lemur has soft, grayish to red-brown fur. ...Lemurs, ecology and adaptation
Metabolism and temperature regulation during daily torpor in the smallest primate, the pygmy mouse lemur (Microcebus myoxi- nus) in ...Animal Records
Pygmy mouse lemur The pygmy mouse lemur (Microcebus myoxinus) is the world's smallest primate, and weighs about 30 g (1 oz). It is pictured here in the ...Information Today Directory
Pygmy mouse lemur - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pygmy mouse lemur range. Pygmy mouse lemur (Microcebus myoxinus), also known as Peters' mouse lemur or dormouse lemur, is a primate weighing only ...
Pygmy Mouse Lemur
This Pygmy Mouse Lemur is now considered as endangered species as they are on verge of extinction. ... Pygmy Mouse Lemur are regarded as the second smallest specie of mouse ...
ARKive - Pygmy mouse lemur videos, photos and facts ...
Learn more about the Pygmy mouse lemur - with amazing Pygmy mouse lemur videos, photos and facts on ARKive
Pygmy Mouse Lemur: The Animal Files
Pygmy Mouse Lemurs live in the dry, deciduous forests of western Madagascar. ... Pygmy Mouse Lemurs are preyed upon by larger mammals and birds. ...
Pygmy Mouse Lemur (Microcebus myoxinus)
The pygmy mouse lemur has a mean body mass of 30.6 grams making it the smallest primate ... The pygmy mouse lemur is found in western Madagascar in the Kirindy ...