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Crowned lemur

Eulemur coronatus

231026 NZ Crowned Lemur CC HR 01
IUCN Conservation Status –
Least Concern
Extinct In The Wild
Class: Mammals
Order: Primates
Family: Lemuridae

Head over to the Madagascan Walkthrough exhibit to find our family of crowned lemurs – Beloha, Xavier and their offspring Boingy who was born back in June 2020.

Crowned lemurs live in dry, deciduous forest and rainforest of mid-altitude in northern Madagascar.

They mostly eat fruit and leaves, sometimes vertebrates and bird eggs. On occasion they will also eat flowers, pollen, and insects.

Interesting facts!

  • They use their sense of smell to communicate with other animals – they have special scent glands which they use to mark their territories through scent trails on branches.
  • Their tail acts as a visual signal when they are threatened, or helps to give them balance when leaping through trees.
  • Female lemurs give birth to one or two infants who will ride on their mothers bellies for the first 3 weeks. They will nurse their young until they are around 5-6 months old.
  • Female are dominant over males in the group, allowing them advantages when choosing food or a mate.

Conservation

The estimated population of crowned lemurs is thought to be no more than 10,000 individuals, which classifies them as Endangered. Crowned lemurs are under threat from habitat loss because of forest fires, cultivation, logging, and development, which has dramatically reduced suitable habitat. Even though Crowned lemurs live in four protected areas, these reserves are fragmented, restricting the lemur’s home ranges and potential for breeding. Research suggests that even within these reserves, logging, grazing and hunting takes place.