Blue-eyed Black Lemurs | Blog 4

 

Blue-Eyed Black Lemur

Eulemur flavifrons

A male blue-eyed black lemur foraging.

Communication

As members of the Eulemur Genus, blue-eyed black lemurs communicate with the conventional lemur vocalizations. These sounds can include: grunts consisting of staccato, repeated calls that can either be soft or sharp and high-pitched; shrieking, which is a long cry used to "advertise" the boundaries of their territory; and infant calls, which are low in pitch and short in length. Interestingly, vocalization makes up less than 5% of their reported behavior. 

A male (left) and female (right) blue-eyed black lemur.

Scent marking is the primary method of communication for blue-eyed black lemurs, much like their Eulemur relatives. Both male and female individuals will rub their anogenital region on trees, branches, or other objects within their territory. Doing this tells other individuals about their location, physical health, and/or position within the territory while also helping individuals to recognize each other. Male blue-eyed black lemurs will also scent mark the palms or wrists of other individuals, though it is unclear whether or not this is used for communication, as this species lacks glands in those areas. Other methods of scent marking include the head-rubbing performed by males, in which they rub their heads against surfaces scent-marked by females or directly onto the female's anogenital region, and urination, which is primarily done by females. 

A YouTube video from Duke Lemur Center showcasing different lemur sounds.

Social Behaviors

Blue-eyed black lemurs will occasionally engage in aggressive behavior, depending on the social situation. Aggressive actions can include chasing, grabbing, lunging, biting, hair pulling, cuffing, tooth gnashing, and tooth grinding. These actions occur more commonly during feeding, but may also appear during the mating season. 

Aggression between males may occur during mating season. Males will occasionally disrupt breeding events and may "guard" a chosen female from other males within the group. Though male-male and male-female interactions can be tense, female-female interactions tend to be peaceful. Of course, the stress resulting from competition during the mating season can result in higher group tension, even among the friendliest of pairings. 

An infant blue-eyed black lemur with its mother.

Friendly bonding and comfort behaviors include mutual grooming and social play. Females will groom their infants and reciprocal grooming has also been observed between adult individuals. Some grooming tactics include scratching the fur with fingers and/or the tooth comb, as well as holding the recipient's tail in the hands while using the mouth to lick and bite at the fur. In terms of play, infants within a group are more likely to play with each other than with adults or older juveniles. During play sessions, they may chase and lightly bite each other, jump around or on each other, grapple and cuff, or even ride on each other's backs. 


Cognitive Abilities

Blue-eyed black lemurs have adapted to survive in the ecologically diverse transitional zones that exist between the rainforests and deciduous forests of Madagascar. They shift their group dynamics and behaviors based on seasonal changes. As fruit and leaves become more sparse during the fall and winter months, blue-eyed black lemurs will source their nutrients from insects and fungi. They are also ecological "benefactors"---they disperse fruit seeds in droppings as they travel across the forest and even pollinate some flowers when feeding on nectar. They also thin out the tree canopy as they feed on leaves, which allows even more sunlight to reach the plants on the forest floor. 

Socially, they manage group dynamics through female dominance and aggression towards males. Infants are raised in "two-parent" households, with one male and one female assisting each other in caring for their child. Females will also form mutually beneficial friendships with other females, while males may form close bonds with other males before engaging in competition during the mating season.
 

An example of a food web in rainforest and deciduous forest environments in Madagascar. 

References

Digby L., Stevens A. (2007). Maintenance of Female Dominance in Blue-Eyed Black Lemurs (Eulemur macaco flavifrons) and Gray Bamboo Lemurs (Hapalemur griseus griseus) Under Semi-Free-Ranging and Captive Conditions. Zoo Biology, 26(345-361). Retrieved from: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002%2Fzoo.20140  

Duke Lemur Center staff. (n.d.). Blue-Eyed Black Lemur. Duke Lemur Center. Retrieved from: https://lemur.duke.edu/discover/meet-the-lemurs/blue-eyed-black-lemur/

New England Primate Conservancy. (n.d.). Blue-Eyed Black Lemur. New England Primate Conservancy. Retrieved from: https://neprimateconservancy.org/blue-eyed-black-lemur/

San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Library staff. (n.d.). Blue-eyed black lemur (Eulemur flavifrons) fact sheet. LibGuides at International Environment Library Consortium. Retrieved from: https://ielc.libguides.com/sdzg/factsheets/blue-eyed_black_lemur/summary

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