Millions of years ago, the well-known tropical island of Madagascar broke away from the vast continent called Africa. He was estranged only 400 kilometers south of the Indian Ocean, but life on the mainland, previously belonging to a holistic system, has radically changed. All species of animals that formerly lived in a single world were forced, after separation, to develop along a different path of evolution, significantly different from the former. Such a phenomenon in biology is called geographic speciation.
Madagascar is the fourth largest island on which countless mysterious and amazing animals live. They found refuge and wet-nosed primates, who once lived on the southeastern side of Africa. We will devote today's material to them, we will try to tell about everything that relates to these unusual animals.
Distinctive features of a primate with perfect sense of smell
In general, we can safely say that all lemurs are wet-nosed primates. This species has long been classified as a semi-monkey, but now this fact is categorically considered incorrect. There are certain signs by which the primacy to this subspecies is determined. For example, the definition “wet-nosed” heard in the name itself. It is believed that, like domestic animals: dogs and cats, this primate has a strong sense of smell. For this, you need a constantly moistened nose. Another characteristic that distinguishes a wet-nosed primate from all others is the small contrast of the thumb relative to others. By the way, there is always a huge claw on it, which is designed to comb out a relative or to bring your own wool in proper form. By and large, underdevelopment of the finger only indicates that lemurs are at a lower stage of development, more precisely, they remained in the state in which they existed in antiquity.
Families on the breakaway mainland
There are several species of wet-nosed primates. They are united by the fact that all of them, with the exception of two, live only on the once breakaway Madagascar. These species are usually called families, each of which has its own daily routine, habits, favorite treats and more.
- Lemurian katta or sifaki. A distinctive feature of the former is considered a striped tail, and the latter - a uniform light color.
- Mouse lemurs, which got their name due to the fact that they are not large individuals. The color of their wool is always gray monophonic.
- Indriyas, considered rightfully unusually beautiful and differing from others in coat color and impressive size. By the way, the coat of this species is black and white.
- Hand-arm, also called ay-ay or aye-aye. Their main advantage is fluffy hair and long developed fingers.
- Thin-bodied lemurs, which are also called lepilemurs. Unfortunately, this species has only one family and is considered the oldest surviving to this day.
There are those who developed in a completely different way.
Wet-nosed primates remained on the territory of Africa - lemurs, which look a little different than the usual monkeys shown in the sensational animated film "Madagascar". By the way, they are also found in some places in Southeast Asia. These primates evolved along a different path of evolution and adapted to life in completely different conditions, different from the once breakaway island. For example, loric ones have underdeveloped ears and have flattened almond-shaped eyes. But the halaga, although remotely resembling the usual lemurs, are not endowed with lush hair and seem small.
Schedule of the day: first half
It is worth noting that some families of wet-nosed primates prefer a daytime lifestyle, while others, on the contrary, are used to stay awake at night. For example, katta and sifaki belong to daytime species. They wake up at dawn and take sun baths first. In Madagascar it is quite cool in the dark, so these primates with great pleasure expose their bellies to the morning rays of the sun. By the way, they warm their stomachs, because they have the least hair. After such a procedure, which is also accompanied by putting the hair in order, wet-nosed primates, photos of which are presented in the article, are sent for the first meal. It is worth saying that they eat twice a day and never violate this rule. The most important delicacy for these semi-monkeys are cacti (prickly pear), tree leaves, fruits and flowers. The diet depends on what part of the island live lemurs. Cacti are entirely made up of water, and this comes in handy in the conditions of tropical daytime heat. The same goes for fruit fruits.
Afternoon classes
Every day, wet-nosed primates explore new corners of the island in the hope of developing fertile lands. They are forced to do so, because due to excessive human intervention on the island, forests and impenetrable thickets are reduced. By the second meal, the whole family returns to its habitable territory and, after a hearty dinner, rests in peace. Lemurs sleep tightly huddled together so as not to lose the precious warmth, which is so necessary in cold island nights.
