Social Behavior
A blue-eyed lemur family crosses a treeless area in the forest. Click image for larger version.
Blue-eyed lemurs have not been studied extensively in the wild, so little is known about their behavior outside of captivity. Most of the following information was recorded for black lemurs, but it is assumed that it will also be correct for blue-eyed lemurs. They are reported to live in social groups of between 7 and 10 individuals, although group sizes of between 2 and 15 have been observed. Group sex ratio is often biased in favor of males. Females are dominant to males, which gives them preferential access to food and the choice of whom to mate with. This female dominance is fairly typical of prosimians.
Numerous attempts to introduce blue-eyed lemurs into mixed species groups of lemurs in multi-acre forested enclosures at the DLC have ended in failure due to the relatively aggressive nature of this lemur. In fact there have been several instances of black lemurs at the DLC committing infanticide against other species of lemurs in these forested enclosures. Such behavior has not been demonstrated by any other lemur species in these habitats.
Like most prosimians, blue-eyed lemurs use olfaction as a primary method of communication. The most common method of scent marking for both males and females, is done by way of rubbing the anogenital region, rich in glandular skin, over a suitable substrate. In addition males have two scent marking techniques not seen in the females. The first is palm/wrist marking where the male will rub his palm and wrist vigorously back and forth on a branch or other surface for a few seconds or even a few minutes. The other scent marking technique unique to the males is head rubbing, where the head is lowered and then the surface to be marked is rubbed with one or two head swipes.