MEET THE MANGOS LEMURS

Coco Lodge Tour Operator takes you to meet the mango lemurs of Madagascar ; this species of lemur that can be observed in the northwestern part of Madagascar. Oddly enough, they are also present in the neighboring islands including Comoros and Mayotte.

Meet the mango lemurs or Eulemur Mongoz

Also called mongoose lemurs, they can be active at different times of the day depending on the time of year, more than other lemurs. These are species cathedrals (active at varying times, Day and night) during the wet season and the dry season.

However, during hot and humid months (december to april), daytime and/or twilight activity (the evening) is considerably more important. With the onset of the dry season in May, there is a shift towards nocturnal behavior and lemurs eventually become more active at night. This shift to nighttime during the hot, dry season is thought to help lemurs conserve energy by shifting their activity to the cooler part of the day.. In addition, this is the season when there is the least forest cover, so being active at night could help lemurs avoid detection by predators.

What do they feed on ?

During the wet season and the dry season, the fruits seem to dominate their diet. During the rainy season, they feed voraciously on flowers, especially those of kapok trees.

In addition, these lemurs are extremely fond of nectar, which may indicate that they are important pollinators of certain species of flowers.

During the dry season, they turn to worksheets mature and immature for food. They feed occasionally beetles and insect larvae also.

How do they reproduce ?

In nature, infants are born in mid-October. Infants cling to their mother's womb during 3 first weeks, switching only to breastfeeding. Around the age of 5 weeks, young lemurs will take their first tentative steps away from their mother. With this hint of independence, infants begin to taste solid foods, tasting bits of whatever the other members of their party eat. Breastfeeding continues, with a steady decline in its importance in infant feeding, until the infant is weaned around the age of 5 to 6 month.

Their way of life

Mango lemurs live in small family groups consisting of a pair of monogamous adults and one to three of their immature offspring. As is the case with most species of lemurs, females are dominant compared to males, having preferential access to food and choice with whom to mate.

At sexual maturity (2,5 to 3,5 years), the offspring are encouraged to leave the family group by the parents.

Breeding is extremely seasonal and infants are born in mid-October in Madagascar. Single infants are typical, but pairing rarely occurs.

Habitat and conservation

These lemurs inhabit dry deciduous forests in a small area of ​​the northwestern Madagascar. The natural range of the species is limited to these forests, but mongoose lemurs have also been introduced to the Comoros where they live in a more humid environment. It is the only species of lemur found outside of Madagascar..

Unfortunately, its habitats are threatened because of the clearing of the forest to create pastures and produce charcoal. This destruction is the main threat to the survival of mongoose lemurs.. In addition, they are sometimes trapped for the pet trade.

Mongoose lemurs are naturally found in Ankarafantsika National Park. They can also be found near the Katsepy lighthouse. – A CONSERVER !

(Source : https://lemur.duke.edu/discover/meet-the-lemurs/mongoose-lemur/)

By The Tour Operator – Hôtel★★★ & Restaurant Gourmand #CocoLodgeMajunga

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Coco Lodge Majunga is now all at once :

• A very beautiful hôtel★★★ with 18 spacious comfortable rooms,
• One gourmet restaurant with a beautiful wine cellar, whiskies, rums and champagnes with a capacity of 60 Covered, offering Malagasy cuisine, French, Lebanese and seafood specialties,
• Un bar piscine with cocktails, "tsakitsaky", pancakes and waffles available at all hours,
• One organizer of events and conferences with 3 meeting rooms that can accommodate up to 90 people. We can receive themed lunch/dinner, engagement, wedding, anniversary, boy-girl stag, marriage proposal, …
• A travel and tourism services company (License C),
• One tour operator (B license),
• A 4×4 rental company and quads (all geo-located with valid liability insurance) and with graduate drivers guide. They can provide all your transfers, for example from Antananarivo airport to Majunga, but also from Nosy Be to Majunga.