Abstract
The preliminary results of a 15-month field study of the socioecology of four social groups of Eulemur macaco macaco in differing forest habitats at Ambato Massif are described. The four study groups ranged in size from 5 to 14 animals during the project. Mean group size was 9.75. The sex ratio of adult animals approximated 1:1. Home ranges were between 3.5 and 7.0ha, with a mean home range area of roughly 5.0–5.5ha. The population density of black lemurs at Ambato Massif was approximately 200 animals per km2. Larger social groups were not as cohesive as smaller groups and frequently fissioned into sub-groups. The large study group inhabiting a relatively more disturbed patch of forest fissioned continually throughout the dry season, a variation in social organization predicted for such an environment with the use of an ecological modelling approach. Marked seasonal variation in activity and dietary patterns were also noted, although these were shared by all study groups and not related to a particular habitat type as were group size and social orgamzation. E. m. macaco can thus be described as a generalist species with a relatively wide econiche.
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Colquhoun, I.C. (1993). The Socioecology of Eulemur Macaco: A Preliminary Report. In: Kappeler, P.M., Ganzhorn, J.U. (eds) Lemur Social Systems and Their Ecological Basis. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-2412-4_2
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