Seasonal Fluctuations in Body Fat and Activity Levels in a Rain-Forest Species of Mouse Lemur, Microcebus rufus

Abstract

Seasonal fattening in preparation for the dry season followed by torpor characterizes some members of the family Cheirogaleidae, a group of < 600-g nocturnal Malagasy primates. These behaviors are associated with extreme seasonality in dry forests, where most studies have been conducted. I aimed to determine if the brown mouse lemur (Microcebus rufus), a rain-forest species of cheirogaleid, exhibited similar changes. Between January 1993 and May 1994 I conducted a mark-recapture study on Microcebus rufus in the rain forest of Ranomafana National Park. I monitored body weight and tail circumference for body fat fluctuations and inferred changes in activity levels from presence or absence in the traps. Some individuals of both sexes increased body fat and entered torpor as suggested by their absence from traps for at least 1 month of the dry season. Activity was resumed with body weight reduced by 5–35 g, and tail circumference by 0.4–1.2 cm. Population-level analysis supports these results; highest weight and tail circumference values occurred just before and at the onset of the dry season. Other individuals, predominantly male, exhibited no change in body fat or activity level, and some mouse lemurs increased their body fat over the course of the dry season. Age, social status, and individual response may influence seasonal behavioral strategies. Dry and rain-forest species of mouse lemur adopt similar behaviors to cope with environmental stresses. Mouse lemurs resemble nonprimate, small-bodied mammals, in which behavioral changes related to maintaining energy balance occur during seasonally unfavorable conditions.