Family Of The Week: The Pouched Lemurs

 This is the largest family of pentadactyls. The family Pileatidae is characterized by the legs and arms all being of the same length, a throat pouch, and usually a horse-like mane. This is a highly varied group of lemurs, they range in size from the very tiny genus Sylpha, which is small enough to build their nests in bamboo stalks, to the genus Toru, which stands as tall as a 3-storey building. The diet also greatly varies. The majority of species feed on leaves, grass, fruits, nuts, berries, occasionally insects and small vertebrates. But one group, the Tyrannocypikinae, are almost completely carnivorous, feeding on large mammals, birds and bats. They feed on meat far more than any other pentadactyls, whether they kill the prey themselves, or scavenge.

This group of lemurs somewhat parallels the modern family Lemuridae, in that all their limbs are the same length, and the tail of most species is long and held upward. Rather like a cat's tail. The tail may be tipped by a large tassel, such is the case in the genera Pileatus and Walstonia. In other species, the tail is just colorful, this allows each individual to recognize other members of their own species. These animals mostly recognize members of their own family groups by sight, sound and smell. Though the sense of smell in these lemurs is not that acute. Almost all species are diurnal, for the most part, with the exception of the species in the subfamily Duendelinae, which are only active in the dark of night. The lemurs in this subfamily have larger eyes than normal in their diurnal cousins, and slit-like pupils, like we see in cats today. The throat pouch acts as both a storage device as well as an amplifier. When calling, the throat pouch may be extended to 3 times normal size. This allows their voice to echo for several miles. Even through thick woods.

The subfamily Tyrannocypikinae are unusual among all other Pileatids. Tyrannocypikines do not use their throat pouches for storage, only as amplifiers. Also unusual, just like modern lemurs, most of the Pileatids have tooth combs on the lower jaw, a modification of the lower incisors they use to groom one another with. But the Tyrannocypikines completely lack the tooth comb. Instead, they have harsh, spike-like projections all over their tongue, which they use to groom each other with, again, like cats. Tyrannocypikines are also the only lemurs to have long, sharp claws on the hands and feet. In some species, the claws are larger than those of a modern bear's! The claws are used to subdue prey, as the teeth clamp down into the prey's vertebrae.

Pileatid lemurs are also very colorful. Among the most colorful are those in the genus Crossodemnus. These lemurs can have colors of deep gold on the fur, to silver in some areas, to chestnut in other areas. The most spectacular is the species C. cyanocrista, with bare skin around the eyes that turn blue during the breeding season. The crest between the eye-patches resembles a golden mohawk with black tips, making these lemurs highly unusual looking, as well as very handsome. But the most spectacular fur belongs to Cercolampis, a lemur that possesses a vast amount of iridescence. Like polar bears, these lemurs have hollow, tubular fur stems, and these hairs are filled with gasses that give off different colors, depending on how the light hits them. These lemurs are almost exclusively fruit-eaters, and the type of gasses saved in the fur are influenced by gasses that naturally occur in the fruits these lemurs feed on. Thus, giving each species it's own unique colors. However, they are not born with these colors. They are born solid black.

Like all pentadactyls, these lemurs face a wide variety of predators. Tyrannocypikines tend to feed on other, smaller members of this family. But the greatest threats come from Deinognathids and Viverrids. As well as occasional dogs, Vulpemustelids, and even Barofelids. Some Deinognathids, like Elaphictis, are designed to chase these lemurs through the trees.