Scientific Name: Avahi laniger
There are several different species of Wooly Lemur, and telling them apart can be tricky! The Eastern Wooly Lemur is a medium-sized lemur with dense, short fur that is tightly curled on the back. This fur is gray-brown to reddish in color and the tail is a rusty red. The chest and abdomen are gray. These lemurs also have a distinct, white stripe of fur on each thigh.
Diet, Family, and Activity
Eastern Wooly Lemurs are arboreal, moving throughout the forest by leaping from tree to tree. Their diet is made up of immature leaves and buds supplemented with fruits, flowers, and bark. They are also nocturnal. Eastern Wooly Lemurs sleep during the day, usually in clumps of dense foliage, and huddle together with other group members. Groups are relatively small, usually no more than five individuals. Eastern Wooly Lemurs only have one baby at a time, which clings to its mother’s abdomen when it is first born, but is eventually carried around on its mother’s back.
Conservation Status
The IUCN Red List classifies the Eastern Wooly Lemur as Vulnerable. Their populations are severely fragmented and numbers are decreasing.
Geographic Range
Eastern Wooly Lemurs inhabit the tropical moist lowland and montane forests of northeast Madagascar.
Threats
Like many other lemur species, the Eastern Wooly Lemur is threatened by habitat loss from logging and slash and burn agriculture. Recent data also suggests an increase in hunting of the species. In some regions, hunting is fady or taboo, especially that of a mother and single baby. But, since these lemurs sleep in groups during the day, they can be captured at daytime sleeping sites or hunted with slingshots and spears.
LCN Members Working to Save Eastern Wooly Lemurs
Where to See Eastern Woolly Lemurs In Madagascar
Eastern Wooly Lemurs can be seen in several protected areas and national parks in Madagascar, but especially in Analamazaotra Special Reserve at Andasibe.
