Social Behavior
A "lemur ball" of crowned lemurs rest together. Click image for larger version.
In the wild, crowned lemurs travel in all levels of the forest, but seem to prefer the canopy level. They readily descend to the ground to eat fallen fruit, lick or eat dirt, or travel. The animals are found in groups ranging in size from five to up to 15 animals (groups of five to six are the norm), with adults of both sexes present. Although the animals are more active during daylight than night, researchers have found that there is usually a nighttime activity period lasting up to two hours.
Large groups often break up into foraging subgroups of one to four animals. Such subgroups use vocalizations to maintain contact with, or to locate other subgroups when separation distances are large. Such vocalizations, best described as "piercing yaps," can often be heard between captive groups at the DLC. Interactions between groups of crowned lemurs in the wild are rare, but aggressive interactions between crowned and Sanford's lemurs have been reported. The home range of crowned lemurs is small, and there is usually significant overlap between the home ranges of neighboring groups.