Grey Mouse-lemur

Endemic to the large island of Madagascar, the Lesser Mouse Lemur is one of the world’s smallest lemurs. Its body measures hardly 12 cm, to which 15 cm must be added for the tail. And it weighs less than 80 grams.

Living in the Malagasy forests, Lesser Mouse Lemurs feed essentially on insects, leaves and fruit, but also on the nectar of flowers, thus contributing to the pollination of the plants. During the day, small groups remain hidden in holes in trees and become active at night to seek their food, each one independently.

They have enormous eyes, with extremely sensitive retinas, and excellent hearing.

Their predators are mainly raptors and arboreal snakes. One in four Lesser Mouse Lemurs falls prey to their beaks and teeth; the species compensates this predation by a high reproduction rate.

Mouse Lemurs possess a very rare faculty among primates: that of reducing their metabolism by falling into a “torpor”, a kind of hibernation, when food resources are low.