Collared Lemur (Eulemur collaris) Fact Sheet: Reproduction & Development

Courtship & Mating

• Courtship
  • Scent marking (from AZA Prosimian Taxon Advisory Group 2013)
    • Males may urinate on females
    • Males and females increase scent marking activity during the breeding season
  • Female receptivity
    • Receptive for 1-2 days during each estrus cycle
• Copulation
  • Occurs over two weeks at the end of May/beginning of June of the austral winter in Madagascar (G. Donati, personal communication)
  • Seldom observed in managed care (AZA Prosimian Taxon Advisory Group 2013; Vick and Conley 1976)
  • Mating typically brief, based on behavior of closely related species (from Vick and Conley 1976 unless otherwise noted)
    • May occur multiple times over the course of 1-2 days
    • Often occurs in early morning and evening, when minimal activity occurs around the animals (AZA Prosimian Taxon Advisory Group 2013)
    • Each partner self grooms following copulation
      • Brief mutual grooming may occur
  • Mating sequence, based on behavior of closely related species (from Vick and Conley 1976)
    • Male behavior
      • Male approaches female from behind
        • Female typically sits or stands on a horizontal surface
      • Male’s hands grasp hips of partner as he takes an upright (bipedal) position
        • His feet may grasp the female’s ankles
      • Copulation consists of 5-10 thrusts
        • Thrusts occur at a rate of 2-3 per second
    • Female behavior
      • Female assumes a low crouch
        • Her body leans slightly forward, the tail rests to one side of her body

• No studies of reproduction in the wild (Schwitzer et al. 2013)
• Estrus cycle, records of females in managed care (from AZA Prosimian Taxon Advisory Group 2013)
  • Cycle not easily apparent (to humans)
  • Duration and frequency
    • Cycle c. 30 every days
    • 2-3 cycles per reproductive season
      • Most females conceive during the first estrus of the breeding season

Gestation

• Estimate of c. 120-128 days (managed care) (AZA Prosimian Taxon Advisory Group 2013)

Birth

• Behavior immediately prior to parturition, from managed care observations (from Vick and Conley 1976)
  • Mother isolates herself from group members
  • Much of her activity is self-focused
    • Spends much of her time resting
    • She also spends much time self grooming her genital region and chest
• Behavior at parturition, from observations in managed care (from AZA Prosimian Taxon Advisory Group 2013)
  • Female may pace and groom genital region more than is usual
    • Contractions may be noticeable
  • Female will hunch over, with legs stretched straight out in front, immediately prior to birth
• Litter size
  • 1-2; a single offspring is most common (from AZA Prosimian Taxon Advisory Group 2013)
    • Twins account for c. 22% of all births in managed care
• Size at birth (from AZA Prosimian Taxon Advisory Group 2013)
  • Weight 60-90 g (2-3 oz)

• Infant
  • Care (from AZA Prosimian Taxon Advisory Group 2013; Vick and Conley 1976 unless otherwise noted)
    • Similar to other brown lemurs (within the genus Eulemur) (Schwitzer et al. 2013)
      • Mother carries infant for 3-6 weeks after birth
        • Infant clings across her belly (like a belt) at first
        • An older infant rides on its mother’s back
      • Nursing
        • Infants nurse on demand
          • Suckle frequently to ingest small amounts of milk
  • Development (from Vick and Conley 1976 unless otherwise noted)
    • Climbs about on own after c. 6 weeks
      • Increasingly independent by 6-9 weeks of age
        • Infant moves about independently from mother; she no longer prevents independent exploration
      • Infant ceases to ride on mother by 2.5-3 months of age
        • Mother often rejects her infant’s attempts to ride around this time
    • Age at weaning, begins at 3-4 months (AZA Prosimian Taxon Advisory Group 2013)
      • Weaning proceeds gradually
      • Solid food consumption steadily replaces ingestion of milk
    • Click here to view A Baby Collared Lemur's First Six Months by Wildlife Conservation Society, Bronx Zoo
• Adults
  • Sexual maturity
    • c. 3 years, based on records from managed care (from AZA Prosimian Taxon Advisory Group 2013 unless otherwise noted)
      • Females mature at a slightly younger age than males (AZA Prosimian Taxon Advisory Group 2013; Becker and Ferrie 2014)
        • Median age of first reproduction, in managed care
          • Sire (male) 4.3 years
          • Dam (female) 3.0 years
    • Social interactions and housing (in managed care) can influence age at first reproduction in males (AZA Prosimian Taxon Advisory Group 2013)
  • Reproductive senescence
    • Capable of reproduction into old age (Becker and Ferrie 2014)
      • Males and females in managed care have produced offspring when 22-23 years of age (AZA Prosimian Taxon Advisory Group 2013; Becker and Ferrie 2014)

Wild populations

• Not reported

Managed care

• Median life expectancy
  • 23.4 years (AZA 2023)

• Adult mortality (from Donati et al. 2007b)
• Most commonly due to predation and hunting by humans
• Infant mortality (from Donati et al. 2007b; G. Donati, personal communication)
• Potentially high
• 50-100% per year in one relocated, very vulnerable group
• This specific population had numerous re-adaptation problems
• Assumed much lower in a more natural situation

Collared Brown Lemurs (Eulemur collaris). Adult male and female with infant and one other adult at Nahampoana Reserve in Madagascar. Image credit: © Alex Dunkel at Wikimedia Commons. Some rights reserved.