Skip to main content
WCS
Menu
Library
Library Catalog
eJournals & eBooks
WCS Research
Archives
Research Use
Finding Aids
Digital Collections
WCS History
WCS Research
Research Publications
Science Data
Services for WCS Researchers
Archives Shop
Bronx Zoo
Department of Tropical Research
Browse By Product
About Us
FAQs
Intern or Volunteer
Staff
Donate
Search WCS.org
Search
search
Popular Search Terms
WCS History
Library and Archives
Library and Archives Menu
Library
Archives
WCS Research
Archives Shop
About Us
Donate
en
fr
Title
Female age-specific reproductive rates, birth seasonality, and infant mortality of ring-tailed lemurs on St. Catherines Island: 17-Year reproductive history of a free-ranging colony
Author(s)
Parga J.A., Lessnau R.G.
Published
2005
Publisher
Zoo Biology
Published Version DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/zoo.20062
Abstract
To compare reproductive parameters of a managed population of free-ranging provisioned ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta) to wild L. catta populations, we analyzed birth and mortality records collected over the 17-year history of the St. Catherines Island ring-tailed lemur colony. The majority of births in this colony (approximately 80%) occurred in March, which indicates that most females at this site conceived during the first estrus cycle of the breeding season, as do wild ring-tailed lemur females (Sauther [1991] Am J Phys Anthropol 84:463-77). Females in this provisioned colony reach the age at first parturition (primiparous age) earlier (at 2 years) than do wild ring-tailed lemurs, which typically begin to reproduce at 3 years of age (Sussman [1991] Am J Primatol 84:43-58; Koyama et al. [2001] Primates 42:1-14; Gould et al. [2003] Am J Phys Anthropol 120:182-94). Female fecundity is lowest at 2 years of age (34%), but increases to 67-100% for females age 3 and older. Survival analyses showed that infant survivorship for very young (2-3 years) and very old females (>10 years) are similar, and are lower than that for reproductively prime-aged females (4-9 years), although this trend is not statistically significant (?2 = 3.18, df = 2, n = 125, P = 0.203). There was a large amount of variability in infant survival rates among the oldest females, and a few older females (ages 13 and 14) still had high infant survival rates despite their old age. When compared to wild populations, provisioning in this island colony generally caused a decrease in the female primiparous age, a decrease in infant mortality, and an increase in multiple-offspring births (twins or triplets). © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Keywords
Lemur catta; Primates; Strepsirhini
Access Full Text
A full-text copy of this article may be available. Please email the
WCS Library
to request.
Back
PUB10985