Lemurs are primates, more precisely wet-nosed monkeys. When we talk about lemurs, we usually think of movies like Madagascar and mean a certain type of lemur called Katta. However, there are about 100 lemur species in total. Their fur color reaches from the well-known grey over brown, white and black up to red.
The following profile is about the well-known and popular Katta. The special characteristic of the Katta is her black-and-white striped tail and her face, which looks similar to a ghost with dark edged, yellow eyes and white fur drawings.
Women's power!
With the Kattas (and most other Lemuren-Arten) the females have the say. But this has nothing to do with the fact that the females are bigger or stronger. Males and females hardly differ from each other. Apart from lemurs, hyenas and meerkats are the only mammals with female power.
"Oh yeah? Smell that!" - The stink fights of the lemurs
Yeah. It's really "stink fight." And yes, something really stinks to heaven. Lemurs first clamp their tail under their armpits so that the nasty smell sticks to it.
With it is then diligently waved in the direction of the competitor. The one who can't stand the smell and leaves has lost. Imagine someone taking off his T-shirt, rubbing it on his armpits and holding it under your nose ...
Ommmm ...
When the sun rises and the first warming rays hit the earth, the Kattas enjoy extensive sunbathing. In addition, they do not simply flee on the back or the belly around ... no, they sunbathe in a lotus position.
They sit on the bottom of their trousers, stretch out their arms and cross their legs according to their mood. However, it has not yet been observed whether they are humming a mantra.
Ensign Trickle Tail
At the ground, Kattas hold its tail like a flag upward. Purpose of the action? "Here I am"...
Mythological
The name of the lemurs comes from the Latin and means as much as "ghosts". In fact, the natives of Madagascar thought that the spirits of their ancestors lived in the small monkeys.
The animals in the movie Madagascar
Mouse macaws also belong to the lemurs - like Mort in Madagascar. There is also a finger animal named Maurice in the film. The finger animals form a "sister group" of the lemurs, because they are themselves the closest relatives and have the same ancestors. By the way, finger animals are also called Aye-Aye.
Reproduction
After mating, it takes about 135 days for a Katta female to give birth to a young. In the first weeks the small one clings to the mother's coat. After about eight weeks it can eat solid food and after five months it can feed itself.