The Zoo des Sables presents a new species of lemurs!
In addition to red ruffed lemurs and black and white ruffed lemurs, since the 10th of April, we host two females crowned lemur (Eulemur coronatus). They are currently very shy, but get used to their new environment gradually. A male should join them in the medium term, in order to perpetuate the species.
These small lemurs are recognizable by their brown-orange crown in the shape of «v» on the head. This species has a sexual dimorphism : males have a brown-gray coat and females are gray. In addition, the v-shaped crown is more extensive in males.
They live humid and dry rainforests of northern Madagascar, where they feed mainly on fruit, to which are added young leaves, flowers, pollen and sometimes insects.
Like 95% of lemurs, the crowned lemur is threatened with extinction in its natural environment. Threats include habitat loss from slash-and-burn agriculture, logging and mining, and hunting and trapping as domestic animals. For all these reasons, the crowned lemur is classified «Endangered» on the red list of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
