The Western Gentle Lemur (Hapalemur occidentalis) is an arboreal primate mammal in the Lemuridae family. It is also known as the Western Lesser Bamboo Lemur and the Sambirano Lesser Bamboo Lemur.
The Western Gentle Lemur has thick, grey-beige to ginger-brown fur. It has long legs, especially long back legs for leaping. It is a leaper. It has a small pink-brown nose, small rounded ears, and large orange-brown eyes.
It grows to about 55-67 centimetres (22-26 inches) long, but most of that length is its tail. Its tail measures about 28 centimetres (11 inches) long.
It is endemic to Madagascar. It prefers dry bamboo forests. It lives in trees, so it is arboreal.
It eats bamboo leaves, flowers, and fruit. It is nocturnal, mostly active at night.
The Western Gentle Lemur lives in small groups of about 6 individuals.
The female has one live offspring, after a pregnancy of about 137-140 days.
It lives, on average, for 23 years.
Location of photographs: Parc Zoologique de Paris in Bois de Vincennes, France
Photographer: Martina Nicolls
Martina Nicolls: SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM