Feeding flexibility and behavior of young Prolemur simus in the fragmented forest of Ambalafary-Eastern Madagascar

Natural Sciences

An isolated and fragmented site named Ambalafary recently discovered by the NGO The Aspinall Foundation is home to a population of Prolemur simus. Data on the behavior and diet of dyad mother-young Prolemur simus were recorded assuming that at each stage of its development the young consume the same species of plants as his mother and she also share foods to her young . To achieve the objectives, thirteen pairs of individuals Prolemur simus were monitored for an entire year on the site using the "focal animal sampling" method every 5 minutes, including rare events in "ad libitum". As a result, each phase of development corresponds to specific activities for the young: phase 1 (young aged 0 to 2 months) constitutes the exploration phase and the training phase for small jumps. Phase 2 (young aged 3 to 5 months) corresponds to the start of ingestion of solid foods such as buds; young leaves and bamboo shoots (2.5%). For phase 3 (young aged 6 to 8 months) and phase 4 (young aged 9 to 11 months) a food sharing session occurs between mother and young Prolemur simus especially about tough foods. The continuity of the study of the diet of the young proves necessary to better ensure its long-term survival and the survival of the entire population since the site is fragmented and till now it is not yet known the extent to which fragmented habitat can support the population of P. simus in the long term, there is an urgent need to provide data on the diet of Prolemur simus especially for young for effective conservation.

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