Spotlight on Students: Primate Conservation

The following is a guest post featuring the work of a student enrolled in SA 202: Introduction to Anthropology.  This exceptional work highlights the importance of primate conservation.  I hope you find this piece informative and are inspired to make a positive change in the world that will help this and other endangered primates.

Hairy-eared dwarf lemur (Duke Lemur Institute)

By: Nichole Voegeli

According to an advanced search of the IUCN Red list website, there are 145 primate species on the Red List of endangered primates. Species on this list have either a 50% - 70% decrease in their population over ten years (or three generations, whichever is appropriate), the population size has about 250 (or fewer) mature individuals, or they have an extinction probability of 20% within 20 years (Dinsmore 668). One primate species on this endangered list is the Hairy-eared Dwarf Lemur (Allocebus trichotis). They get their name from the “long tufts of hair that grow on the front of their short ears” (DiCesare). They have brownish-gray fur on their backs, whitish-gray fur on the front of their bodies, and reddish-brown tails. Their pink hands and feet have long fingers that have been adapted to grip onto tree branches. Their big dark eyes allows them to see well at night. (DiCesare). Their diet consists of nectar, young leaves, fruit, gums, honey, and insects (DiCesare). They are nocturnal tree dwellers that are active at night and sleep during the day. From May to September, they enter a pseudo-hibernation state by transitioning into torpor, which is a sleep-like state that decreases their body temperature and metabolic rate, to help them store energy when food is scarce (DiCesare). These lemurs were considered extinct for more than twenty years before 1989. In 1989, they were removed from the extinction list when they were found near the Mananara River in Northeast Madagascar (DiCesare). Today, they can only be found in Madagascar’s National Parks and Special Reserves that contain lowland forests (DiCesare). The following essay will cover the factors causing endangerment, how we can prevent extinction, and why preventative measures are necessary for the Hairy-eared Dwarf Lemurs and all primates.

Human activity is the primary factor causing the population of the Hairy-eared Dwarf Lemurs to decline at an alarming rate. Since the lemurs live only in Madagascar’s lowland rainforests, their habitat is extremely limited. The growing human population has led to activities such as deforestation, logging, and slash-and-burn agriculture, reducing the lemur’s habitat even further (DiCesare). Another human activity that is causing the lemur population to decline is eating. These lemurs are trapped and hunted by the local communities of northeastern Madagascar (DiCesare; Drury). Deforestation, logging, agriculture, and hunting show that the reduction of the lemur population is primarily due to human activity.

The Hairy-eared Dwarf Lemurs have two major ecological roles that make it necessary to find ways to prevent their extinction. The first role that they play is a pollinator. Since they feed on nectar and honey, they aid in the pollination of the plant life of Madagascar (DiCesare). Another role they play is that of prey. Humans are not the only predators of these lemurs; owls and Malagasy carnivores also eat the lemurs (DiCesare). To prevent the extinction of the lemurs, the main issues to address are deforestation and logging. Currently, the Malagasy government is taking steps to protect the remaining portions of lowland forests in the northeastern part of the island (DiCesare). With the Malagasy government protecting the remaining lowland forests, which are the lemurs' natural habitat, they are helping to prevent the extinction of the lemurs by allowing them to continue their ecological roles as pollinators and prey.

It is important to protect all primates from extinction because they play many roles in the ecosystem of the world (Estrada). Primates act as both predator and prey in their respective environments, as well as plant life distributors as they promote forest regeneration by dispersing seeds over long distances (Estrada). The seeds that they disperse are important because they help to prevent plant life from going extinct and some of the plants that grow from these seeds are used by humans for food and/ or tools (Estrada). There are groups of people in the rural area of S. Nigeria that rely on the fruits and seeds that are dropped by the local primates (Estrada).

If primates go extinct, many other animals, insects, and plants would be affected and could quickly go extinct as well. The more species that go extinct, the more likely humans will become endangered. Therefore, it is important to protect all primates, including the Hairy-eared Dwarf Lemurs.

 

 

Works Cited

DiCesare, Maria. “Hairy-Eared Dwarf Lemur.” New England Primate Conservancy, New England Primate Conservancy, Sept. 2022, https://neprimateconservancy.org/hairy-eared-dwarf-lemur/. Accessed 04 Oct. 2023.

Drury, C. “Allocebus trichotis hairy-eared dwarf lemur.” Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan, 2002, https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Allocebus_trichotis/. Accessed 04 Oct. 2023.

Estrada, Alejandro, et al. "Impending Extinction Crisis of the World’s Primates: Why Primates Matter." Science Advances, Vol. 3, Issue 1, 2017, https://doi.org/1600946. Accessed 04 Oct. 2023.

Louis, E.E., et al. “Hairy-eared Dwarf Lemur: Allocebus trichotis.” The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, Andriaholinirina, N., et al. Ver 3.1, IUCN, 2020, https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-2.RLTS.T868A115559302.en. Accessed 04 Oct. 2023.