Lepilemur ruficaudatus A. Grandidier, 1867

Lepilemur ruficaudatus is still common in much of its range. Petter et al. (1971) estimated population densities of 180–350 individuals/km2 in the Marosalaza forests. Hladik et al. (1980) described this sportive lemur as a leaf-eater, although it also eats fruits in season, especially Diospyros. Home range sizes are at or below one hectare and do not differ between males and females (Zinner et al., 2003). Adults are organized into pairs, but they rarely interact and spend very little time in close proximity to each other (Hilgartner et al., 2008). They spend the day in tree holes and can often be seen sunbathing at the entrance. According to Ganzhorn (1993), L. ruficaudatus feeds on leaves of high nutritional value in the Kirindy Forest, where Avahi occidentalis is not sympatric with it. However, in areas where Avahi and Lepilemur coexist, Avahi typically eats the higher quality leaves. Red-tailed sportive lemurs are preyed upon by the fossa and the Madagascar Harrier-hawk (Rasoloarison et al., 1995; Schülke and Ostner, 2001). They can correctly categorize vocalizations of these two predators and exhibit corresponding adaptive–evasive behavior, but they do not have specific anti-predator alarm calls (Fichtel, 2007). This species has one of the lowest resting metabolic rates recorded for any mammalian species (Schmid and Ganzhorn, 1996). Mating occurs from May to July, and a single infant is born in November (Hilgartner et al., 2008). The infant is initially transported in the mother’s mouth and “parked” on a branch or in a tree hole while she forages (Petter-Rousseaux, 1964). Infants are weaned at about 50 days, and fathers provide no infant care (Hilgartner et al., 2008).