Madame Berthe's mouse lemur (Microcebus berthae) or Berthe's mouse lemur
Appearance
Madame Berthe's mouse lemur (Microcebus berthae) or Berthe's mouse lemur is a species of strepsirrhine primate. It is the smallest known primate, found only on the island of Madagascar.
It is only 9 to 9.5 cm long and weighs between 24 and 38 grams. The lemur has a long tail, 13-14 cm long.
Its fur is short and thick. The upper body is reddish-brown, with a darker stripe running down the back from the shoulders to the tail, while the belly is cream or pale grey.
The head is round, orange in colour, lighter than the rest of the body. The muzzle is short, with a white spot on the nose, a tan ring around the eye, large ears and bare toes. It has very large, forward-facing eyes, which have a shiny layer behind the retina that reflects light, greatly enhancing night vision.
Distribution and lifestyle
Endemic to Madagascar. Found in the western part of the island, in Kirindy National Park. Area not exceeding 900 km². The habitat of the species is dry deciduous forest.
The species is active at night and prefers to stay in trees. During the day, they sleep in leaf nests on lianas and other climbing plants. They lead a solitary lifestyle.
They are omnivorous and eat fruit and other plants, as well as insects. To conserve energy, they hibernate daily for a short period of time.
Diet
Madame Berthe's mouse lemur shares its niche with the sympatric gray mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus). Both lemurs feeding ecology suggests that there is a coexistence behavior between the two lemur species. Both species are found in western Madagascar's highly seasonal dry deciduous forest. Madame Berthe's mouse lemur has a very narrow feeding niche unlike the sympatric gray mouse lemur which has a much broader niche. The feeding ecology and the types of food available depend on the type of season in the niche of Microcebus berthae and Microcebus murinus. During the wet, rainy season, more unripe fruit is available which decreases its abundance in the dry season. However, ripe fruit are available all year round with maximum abundance in the dry season. As a food source, flying insects are available in both seasons, but are abundant in the wet season.
Madame Berthe's mouse lemur is an omnivore and mainly feeds on fruits and flowers of different tree and shrub species, insect secretions, gum, arthropods and small vertebrates like geckos and chameleons. Compared to the dry and the wet season of Madame Berthe's mouse lemur's niche, it spends more time feeding in the dry season while the wet season is used for mating. Compared to the sympatric gray mouse lemur, Madame Berthe's mouse lemur eats mainly insects, and fruit only occasionally. Similar to the sympatric gray mouse lemur, Madame Berthe's mouse lemur is able to adapt to the fluctuation of resources. There is a high overlap in the feeding niche of both lemurs suggesting that they avoid competition by mutually excluding each other on a small scale.
Status
As of December 2019, Madame Berthe's mouse lemur is rated critically endangered by the IUCN Red List. The main threat to this species is deforestation and habitat degradation from Slash-and-burn agriculture, illegal logging and charcoal production. The Menabe-Antimena Protected Area has been established to protect the Kirindy Forest and the surrounding areas. However, this has been poorly enforced and deforestation proceeds unhindered. If the deforestation continues at the current rate, it is estimated that Madame Berthe's mouse lemur will become extinct within 10 years. As of 2019, there are no Madame Berthe's mouse lemurs being kept in captivity.
