Julia

= = = Endangered Species Project =

//__1. My Endangered Species and its Environment.__//
===The Gray Mouse Lemur is small primate. They live in the forests of Madagascar. They are endangered because of deforestation. This species makes nests in hollow trees or spherical leaf form in foliage. They live in hot temperatures. Those primates are solitary and nocturnal, he sleeps during the day. Males sleep in pairs seperate from the female.They are 10cm to 14cm tall with a 10 to 15cm tail. Their scientific name is Microcebus murinus. They are omnivorous.===

===The Gray Mouse Lemur's predators are the Barn Owl, the Fossa, the narrow moongoose, spear-nosed snake, and humans. Humans are cutting down the lemur's habitat, the forest. The Madagascar rainforest is getting smaller and smaller. Their population range is about 800 organisms. They are probably one of the biggest small primate poulation left in Madagascar.They eat mostly insects, rose-hued berries, chameleon, lizards and trumpet flowers. This species lives in a community with the flying fox, the pill Millipede, the Flatid Leaf Bugs, Tenrecs,Narrow Moongooses, The Spear Nosed Snake, the Fossa, the Barn Owl, the Blue Coua, the Comet Moth, the Brookesia Chameleon, the day Gecko, Butterflies, the aye-aye, the Indri, the Tomato frog, The Mantella Frog and many others.===

===The female normally gives birth to twins, multiple births are common. The gesttion period is about 54-68 days. Female who are captive often gives birth to more daughters than usually. The mother carries her babies in her mouth.The infant will stay in the nest for three entire weeks. Their mother only leaves the nest to drink. In spring, lemurs can mate they can only mate for a few days a year. Because of that it makes it harder to increase their number. They can only mate for 5 years. They are mature enough to mate at the age of 1. The female is pregnant for 60 days. Their mortality rate is 50%. They live for 18 years in captivity.The lemurs of Madagascar are isolated of the changes of the world. They have many niches without any competition or any predation. Today, they have an ecosystem all over the island. The lemurs share a lot of social and characteristic behaviors of monkeys. For example, forming groups, eating fruit, etc. The abiotic factors are the temperature, average 9 to 20 degrees Celsius. The rainfall, 1,000 to 1,500mm is the average per year. The weather, warm, rainy, tropical, humid, dry during the dry season.===

//__3.Special Adaptations:__//
===The Gray Mouse lemur or Microcebus Murinus has many predators snakes, owls, fossa, crocodiles... They need to protect themselves so they have a behavior adaption of being aggressive. For example, a few Gray Mouse Lemurs were seen biting and attacking a snake who had captured a male lemur. The lemur escaped from the snake because the other lemurs had been very aggressive. Some other adaptations they have are being omnivorous. They need to be omnivorous because of the rainy season and so because there are different seasons, the foods are not always the same. All mouse lemurs are nocturnal, it protects them more from predators. In general, mouse lemur activity levels, metabolism, body temperature and body mass changes throughout the year.=== ===In the winter or rain season, the mouse lemurs gain weight and even hibernate for some or even individuals. In the dry season/summer they lose weight. The two types of long term torpors are practiced by Gray Mouse Lemurs. Long term torpor which may last a few weeks. During May through June The Gray Mouse Lemur begins gaining weight as well as increasing the volume of his tail. After a period of long term torpor the mouse lemur will have lost all the weight gain.===

__4.Population Size:__
===The methods of determining the size of the gray mouse lemur's populations that scientists use is sampling. They also use DNA sampling. The factors that affect their population size are predators, they have many including humans, who hunt them and trade them. Another factor is deforestation of Madagascar, their habitat, they do not have as much habitat space as they use to. Some other limiting factors are reproduction, they can only have babies for 5 years an only a few days a year, it limits their population.===

Works Cited

“Gray Mouse Lemur Fact Sheet.” //Duke Lemur Center//. N.p., 2012. Web. 1 Mar. 2012. .
===Gron, Kurt, and Sylvia Atsalis, eds. “Mouse Lemur Microcebus.” //Primate Info Net//. Wisconsin Primate Research Library, 21 Nov. 2011. Web. 1 Mar. 2012. .===