Northern Giant Mouse Lemur
Overview
Giant mouse lemurs are squirrel sized lemurs with a long tail and horizontal body movements. They scurry through low branches in the forest by quadrupedal running and, occasionally, by leaping from branch to branch. Unlike their fellow small, nocturnal lemurs, the fat-tailed dwarf lemur and the mouse lemur, seasonal weight gain does not occur in...
Feeding
Northern giant mouse lemurs are nocturnal omnivores, with a varied diet that includes a variety of fruits, insects, spiders, leaves, small birds, chameleons, flowers, buds, and tree gum. Foraging usually occurs at the lower levels of the canopy, and this lemur has even been seen on the ground. Cashew nuts are an important food in...
Fact Sheet
Order: Primates; Suborder: Prosimii Family: Cheirogaleidae; Genus: Mirza Species: zaza Related Species There are now two recognized species of giant mouse lemurs, the other being the Coquerel’s giant mouse lemur, Mirza coquereli. Key Facts Adult Size : 9 ½ ounces to 12 ½ ounces Social life : Solitary forager, strictly nocturnal, sleeps in nests Habitat...
Reproduction
Unlike most lemurs, a captive Northern giant mouse lemur female might cycle throughout the year. Hence breeding can occur at any time, and does not appear to be seasonal. During estrus, a female’s genitalia becomes noticeably swollen and changes color. When a female nears estrus, a male might follow her closely, constantly sniffing to monitor...
Social Behavior
Northern giant mouse lemurs are typically solitary and always nocturnal. They spend the days sleeping in spherical nests constructed from interwoven lianas, twigs and leaves, and usually located in the fork of a tree about 2-10 meters off the ground and about 1-2 meters below the top of the tree. Nests are generally occupied by...
Habitat/Conservation
The two species of giant mouse lemurs are discontinuously distributed along the west coast of Madagascar, mostly in dry deciduous forests. There is a gap of nearly 600 km between the two major sections of this lemur’s range, with the Northern giant mouse lemur in the northwest and the Coquerel’s giant mouse lemur in the...
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