Coquerel’s mouse lemur  (Mirza coquereli)

Authentication

Authenticated (25/02/2006) by Matt Richardson, independent primatologist and writer.

Glossary

  • Arboreal: living in trees.
  • Deciduous: a plant that sheds its leaves at the end of the growing season.
  • Endemic: a species or taxonomic group that is only found in one particular country or geographic area.
  • Gestation: the state of being pregnant; the period from conception to birth.
  • Hibernate/ Hibernation: a winter survival strategy characteristic of some mammals in which an animal’s metabolic rate slows down and a state of deep sleep is attained. Whilst hibernating, animals survive on stored reserves of fat that they have accumulated in summer. In insects, the correct term for hibernation is ‘diapause’, a temporary pause in development and growth. Any stage of the lifecycle (eggs, larvae, pupae or adults) may enter diapause, which is typically associated with winter.
  • Homopteran larvae: the stage in the lifecycle of an insect belonging to the order Homoptera after it hatches from the egg. Larvae are typically very different in appearance to adults; they are able to feed and move around but usually are unable to reproduce.
  • Nocturnal: active at night.
  • Oestrous: the time of ovulation (release of an egg from the ovary) in female mammals, when the female becomes receptive to males, also known as ‘heat’.
  • Olfactory: concerned with the sense of smell.
  • Quadrupedally: walking on all fours.
  • Secondary forest: forest that has re-grown after a major disturbance, such as fire or timber harvest, but has not yet reached the mature state of primary forest.

References

  1. IUCN Redlist 2003 (January, 2004)
    http://www.iucnredlist.org
  2. Garbutt, N. (1999) Mammals of Madagascar.Pica Press, East Sussex.
  3. Walkers Mammals Encyclopedia (January, 2003)
    http://www.press.jhu.edu/books/walkers_mammals_of_the_world/primates/primates.cheirogaleidae.mirza.html
  4. Macdonald, D. (2001) The New Encyclopedia of Mammals.Oxford University Press, Oxford.
  5. Richardson, M. (2006) Pers. comm.
  6. Mittermeier, W., Konstant, R., Nicoll., M.E. and Langrand, O. (1992) Lemurs of Madagascar: An Action Plan for their Conservation.IUCN, Gland, Switzerland.
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