Faranky Ravelomandrato, Timothy M Sefczek, Cynthia L Frasier, Hanta Razafindraibe, Achille P Raselimanana, Edward E Louis
{"title":"Food transfer: a case of wild mother and infant aye-aye in Sangasanga Forest, Madagascar.","authors":"Faranky Ravelomandrato, Timothy M Sefczek, Cynthia L Frasier, Hanta Razafindraibe, Achille P Raselimanana, Edward E Louis","doi":"10.1163/14219980-bja10083","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/14219980-bja10083","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Food transfer occurs when part or all of a food item is passed from one individual to another. Adult transfer of solid food to infants has been reported in 45 primate species. For aye-ayes, this behaviour was recorded in captivity where individuals were provisioned, but little is known about this behaviour in the wild. Wild aye-ayes consume hard-to-process foods that are inaccessible to infants such as wood-boring larvae embedded in trees and the endosperm of Canarium spp. seeds which are protected by a hard coat. Learning to process these food resources may be essential for aye-aye development. We used ad libitum sampling to record the social activities and behaviours of a mother and her male infant from January to December 2020 in Sangasanga Forest, Kianjavato, Madagascar. We collected in total 4 hours 57 minutes and 57 seconds of social behaviours. Over two days in December, we observed eight occurrences of the 11-month-old infant usurping Canarium sp. seeds from his mother. Our findings suggest that, due to physical limitations, the infant aye-aye primarily resorted to food transfer via theft to obtain hard-to-process food. Transfer of larvae, their main resource, was not observed, though it may occur until young aye-aye have the bite force needed to gouge holes in substrates and the coordination to retrieve and extract wood-boring larvae. Future research should explore if food transfer differs across individuals' sex, sites and type of food as well as the effects of anthropogenic disturbances on foraging.</p>","PeriodicalId":520627,"journal":{"name":"Folia primatologica; international journal of primatology","volume":" ","pages":"1-13"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2026-05-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148458303","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Laura Mármol, Hélène Meunier, Ruth Dolado, Francesc S Beltran
{"title":"Social styles in semi-free-ranging Macaca tonkeana and Macaca fascicularis.","authors":"Laura Mármol, Hélène Meunier, Ruth Dolado, Francesc S Beltran","doi":"10.1163/14219980-bja10082","DOIUrl":"10.1163/14219980-bja10082","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The species of the Macaca genus are classified into four social styles based on aggression and affiliative patterns, as well as their phylogenetic relationships. However, some studies suggest that social parameters can change under different local conditions, particularly in semi-free-ranging environments. The aim of our study was to examine whether the social parameters (aggression, affiliative behaviors and spatial distribution) of two groups of macaques in semi-free-ranging conditions aligned with their expected social styles. We studied a group of Macaca tonkeana (nine individuals), which the social style expected is high tolerant, and a group of Macaca fascicularis (nine individuals), which the social style expected is low tolerant. Our results indicated that some social parameters in these groups did not conform to the expected parameters. M. tonkeana exhibited lower tolerance than expected, while, conversely, the aggression patterns of M. fascicularis resembled more tolerant behaviors. These findings suggest that group characteristics, such as semi-free-ranging conditions, should be considered when analyzing social parameters like aggression, affiliative behavior, and spatial distribution.</p>","PeriodicalId":520627,"journal":{"name":"Folia primatologica; international journal of primatology","volume":"97 1","pages":"41-54"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148458382","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Simeon Gabriel F Bejar, Aminah Grace T Amberong, Alessandro Bonhomme, Jean Devin, Paul Pineau, Eloi Wojtasik, Mariano Roy M Duya
{"title":"Manoeuvring mangroves: a preliminary study on the use of a mangrove reserve by Philippine tarsiers (Carlito syrichta) on Siargao Island, Philippines.","authors":"Simeon Gabriel F Bejar, Aminah Grace T Amberong, Alessandro Bonhomme, Jean Devin, Paul Pineau, Eloi Wojtasik, Mariano Roy M Duya","doi":"10.1163/14219980-bja10081","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/14219980-bja10081","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Mangrove forests are highly threatened ecosystems, regarded as important habitats for many non-human primates, including tarsiers. However, for Philippine tarsiers (Carlito syrichta; formerly Tarsius syrichta), our understanding of their relationship with mangroves remains poor. Here, we explored how Philippine tarsiers used mangrove habitats by locating their sleeping sites, describing their sleeping behaviours, and estimating their home ranges. We surveyed Philippine tarsiers from 24 June to 10 July 2025 in a mangrove forest within the Del Carmen Mangrove Reserve on Siargao Island. We were able to record 44 sleeping sites from six Philippine tarsiers that were radio-tracked. The tarsiers frequently slept on screw pines, non-mangrove trees, and thickets, although they also used true mangrove species (Rhizophora sp. and Nypa fruticans) within the flooded portions of the site. Adult males were skittish and consistently slept solitarily, whereas the adult females were often accompanied by their juvenile offspring. From the three adult males we fitted with GPS tags, we estimated minimum home range sizes (±SE) of 3.16 ± 0.59 ha based on minimum convex polygons and 4.22 ± 1.34 ha based on kernel density estimates, with percentages of mangrove overlap ranging from 17.56 to 72.99%. Our observations underscore the value of mangrove habitats as potential refugia for supporting insular primate populations against predators, disturbances, and stochastic events, and as evolutionarily significant ecosystems that, along with their behavioral flexibility, possibly contributed to their dispersal across open oceans. We recommend extending ecological research of tarsiers in mangroves and integrating mangrove protection in tarsier conservation.</p>","PeriodicalId":520627,"journal":{"name":"Folia primatologica; international journal of primatology","volume":" ","pages":"1-16"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2026-03-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147523826","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Tree-shaking displays in a free-ranging, provisioned group of Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata).","authors":"M Nakamichi, K Yamada","doi":"10.1163/14219980-bja10080","DOIUrl":"10.1163/14219980-bja10080","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Tree- or branch-shaking displays have been reported in some nonhuman primate species, but large-sample studies addressing their possible functions are rare. The present study examined 842 and 72 tree-shaking (TS) displays by free-ranging male and female Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata), respectively, recorded in and around the group's provisioned feeding site. In the mating season, TS displays performed by peripheral and non-group (i.e., non-central) males were almost always accompanied by loud vocalizations, whereas central males were less vocal. Also, non-central males rarely performed female-directed aggressive behaviours, whereas central males frequently did so. Aggression towards females by non-central males poses a potential cost, i.e. punishment by central males, whereas vocalizing to attract females appears to have few costs, if any, yet it might provide substantial reproductive benefits. By contrast, central males performed fewer TS displays with vocalizations as they were at less risk of getting punished for threatening or attacking females. In the non-mating season, almost all TS displays were performed by central males; non-central males were rarely observed in or around the feeding site in the non-mating season. TS displays in the non-mating season may help central males to reinforce their high-ranking positions. Most female TS displays were by the alpha female and her daughters in the non-mating season, their probable function also being to reinforce their high ranks.</p>","PeriodicalId":520627,"journal":{"name":"Folia primatologica; international journal of primatology","volume":" ","pages":"69-81"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2026-03-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147523834","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Marina B Blanco, Lydia K Greene, Hery Nirina Théophile Randriahaingo, Nannye H Randriamanantsaina, Brigita Tsavohitra, Anne D Yoder, Kathrin H Dausmann
{"title":"Greater ecological flexibility in furry-eared dwarf lemurs versus sympatric Sibree's dwarf lemurs: Insights from activity budgets, spatial distribution, and foraging behavior.","authors":"Marina B Blanco, Lydia K Greene, Hery Nirina Théophile Randriahaingo, Nannye H Randriamanantsaina, Brigita Tsavohitra, Anne D Yoder, Kathrin H Dausmann","doi":"10.1163/14219980-bja10076","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/14219980-bja10076","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Many forests in Madagascar harbor numerous and diverse species of lemur in sympatry. Whereas more distant relatives can avoid competition by occupying distinct ecological niches, more subtle niche partitioning may explain how congeners coexist in the same place at the same time. Here, we examine the behavioral ecology of sympatric furry-eared (Cheirogaleus crossleyi) and Sibree's (C. sibreei) dwarf lemurs at Tsinjoarivo- a high-altitude rainforest in central-eastern Madagascar. Specifically, we followed 24 collared individuals during the pre- and post-hibernation seasons of 2011-2014 to determine activity budgets, spatial distribution, foraging behavior and macronutrient selection. Overall, we find that furry-eared dwarf lemurs, compared to Sibree's dwarf lemurs, had smaller home ranges and traveled shorter nightly distances, spent more time foraging and less time in their resting sites. The species were somewhat spatially differentiated, with furry-eared dwarf lemurs more often found closer to forest edges and in generally more degraded habitats. Furry-eared dwarf lemurs consumed a more diverse diet, but both species foraged for fruits (and flowers) that were rich in sugars and/or fats, key nutrients particularly during the fattening season prior to hibernation. Since this study was conducted, anecdotal observations at this site strongly suggest that the furry-eared dwarf lemur is replacing Sibree's dwarf lemur, in step with ongoing habitat fragmentation and degradation. Placing our results in broader context highlights the furry-eared dwarf lemur as a more generalist species in terms of habitat occupation, geographic distribution, and ecological flexibility. In contrast, Sibree's dwarf lemur seems to be a specialist highly adapted only to Madagascar's intact and high-elevation rainforests. If this is the case, the sympatric occurrence of these two species at Tsinjoarivo may be recent, tenuous, and unsustainable in the long run. We advocate for greater research of the behavioral ecology of sympatric dwarf lemurs at this and other sites across Madagascar.</p>","PeriodicalId":520627,"journal":{"name":"Folia primatologica; international journal of primatology","volume":" ","pages":"1-16"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2026-03-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147438780","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Antonin Andriamahaihavana, Fanomezana M Ratsoavina, Elodi Rambeloson, Lydia K Greene, Marina B Blanco
{"title":"Great encounter rates of Ambarijeby mouse lemurs and Anjiamangirana sportive lemurs in the Anjajavy Private Reserve, northwestern Madagascar.","authors":"Antonin Andriamahaihavana, Fanomezana M Ratsoavina, Elodi Rambeloson, Lydia K Greene, Marina B Blanco","doi":"10.1163/14219980-bja10073","DOIUrl":"10.1163/14219980-bja10073","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Madagascar, famous for its unique biodiversity including the lemurs, comprises varied and heterogenous landscapes that establish regions of microendemism. In the northwest, rivers often delimit the geographic distribution of lemur species, including the mouse (Microcebus spp.) and sportive (Lepilemur spp.) lemurs. Within the Sofia Region, Inter-River System (IRS) III is the only home to the Ambarijeby mouse lemur (M. danfossi) and the Anjiamangirana sportive lemur (L. grewcockorum). In 2008, surveys of the nocturnal lemurs in IRS III highlighted Anjajavy as a promising site for these species, both of which were listed, at the time, as Data Deficient by the IUCN. Here, 15 years later, we conducted standard, nocturnal surveys at Anjajavy across the dry season to document encounter rates of mouse and sportive lemurs, with sporadic observations of sympatric dwarf lemurs (Cheirogaleus sp. cf. medius) in two areas of the Private Reserve. Overall, we encountered 17.6 mouse lemurs per kilometer, with significant variation by transect area and study month. We saw more mouse lemurs between August and October and a greater number of individuals per sighting in September, likely due to the onset of the reproductive season. We encountered 2.3 sportive lemurs per kilometer, with little variation by transect area or study month. A lack of dwarf lemur sightings from May through September loosely establishes an approx. 5-month hibernation season at this site. Compared to sportive and dwarf lemurs, we observed mouse lemurs at lower heights in the canopy, particularly when feeding. Our survey data of Ambarijeby mouse lemurs and Anjiamangirana sportive lemurs, now respectively listed as Vulnerable and Critically Endangered, reaffirms Anjajavy as a haven for the nocturnal lemurs of IRS III. We posit that Anjajavy is well positioned to become a regional hub of long-term lemur research and species safeguarding.</p>","PeriodicalId":520627,"journal":{"name":"Folia primatologica; international journal of primatology","volume":" ","pages":"13-25"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2026-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146260636","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mariana Inés Ayala, Marco Lombardi, Lindsey Weyant, Jonathan Pertile, Marcelo Rotundo, Cecilia Paola Juárez, Eduardo Fernández-Duque, Alba García de la Chica
{"title":"Limits to fragmented habitat viability: case study of owl monkeys in a 0.5 ha natural forest island.","authors":"Mariana Inés Ayala, Marco Lombardi, Lindsey Weyant, Jonathan Pertile, Marcelo Rotundo, Cecilia Paola Juárez, Eduardo Fernández-Duque, Alba García de la Chica","doi":"10.1163/14219980-bja10079","DOIUrl":"10.1163/14219980-bja10079","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Our understanding of the viability of primates in anthropogenically fragmented habitats is undermined by the long timeframes for the effects of fragmentation to manifest. Studying primates in natural forest islands can better reveal the limits to habitat viability in the face of fragmentation. We present a study of a group of Azara's owl monkeys (Aotus azarae) occupying a 0.53 ha forest \"island\", the smallest such forest island and territory ever documented for the genus Aotus. We radio collared one individual and then, for ten months, collected ecological and behavioural data on the island and the group (123 scans, 44 observation days). We also collected forest structure data on the island. While the group did successfully establish itself on the island, the pair did not have an offspring during the birth season. The pair predominantly engaged in resting behaviour in close proximity to each other. Furthermore, the adult male of the group was characterised by eye deformities and bodily injuries, and eventually died nine months after we identified him. These results suggest that, while the forest island may be habitable in the short term, it may not have been sufficient for the long-term survival and reproduction. We propose that this forest island could act as a population sink, where individuals that are not competitive in the highly saturated gallery forest can reside temporarily. Our study shows the importance of considering not only presence/absence, but also behaviour and life history to consider the effects of forest island viability, especially in the face of future scenarios of anthropogenic fragmentation.</p>","PeriodicalId":520627,"journal":{"name":"Folia primatologica; international journal of primatology","volume":" ","pages":"27-39"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2026-02-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146260576","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Luke D Martin, Eva S Nomenjanahary, Herison Razafimanantsoa, Sylviane Volampeno, Alice M Richardson, Robert D Magrath, Alison M Behie
{"title":"The graded vocal repertoire of the Nosy Be sportive lemur (Lepilemur tymerlachsoni).","authors":"Luke D Martin, Eva S Nomenjanahary, Herison Razafimanantsoa, Sylviane Volampeno, Alice M Richardson, Robert D Magrath, Alison M Behie","doi":"10.1163/14219980-bja10078","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/14219980-bja10078","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Descriptions of the vocal repertoires of primates are essential to understanding aspects of behaviour and social ecology, and are increasingly useful in applied conservation. Sportive lemurs (Lepilemur spp.) are highly vocal but otherwise cryptic, making them promising candidates for bioacoustics research and monitoring; however, vocal repertoires have been described for only a handful of the 25 species, and the question of gradation within and between call types remains largely unexplored. Here we describe the call types and gradedness of the vocal repertoire of the Critically Endangered Nosy Be sportive lemur (Lepilemur tymerlachsoni). We recorded wild sportive lemur vocalisations over a six-week period in early 2023. From the spectrograms of these recordings, we manually classified 14 distinct call types, distinguishable both aurally and visually, representing the largest known repertoire for the genus and among the largest reported for any nocturnal primate. Depending on the call type, calls were produced singly, in sequences and combinations, or in extended bouts. We then used an unsupervised machine learning technique, fuzzy c-means clustering, to objectively classify the repertoire and quantify its graded structure using 25 acoustic measurements extracted from the spectrograms. Fuzzy clustering identified two acoustic clusters, revealing gradation both within call types and between clusters. These patterns were visualised with Uniform Manifold Approximation and Projection ('UMAP') dimensionality reduction. We present representative spectrograms for each call type, and compare our results with the published repertoires of other sportive lemur species. Our study provides a foundation for further behavioural research and acoustic-based conservation of L. tymerlachsoni.</p>","PeriodicalId":520627,"journal":{"name":"Folia primatologica; international journal of primatology","volume":" ","pages":"1-26"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2026-02-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146260213","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Molar topography covaries with insectivory in primates.","authors":"Keegan Selig","doi":"10.1163/14219980-bja10077","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/14219980-bja10077","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Researchers studying molar topography have traditionally categorized primate taxa based on their purported primary dietary guild, typically as insectivores, folivores, frugivores, or omnivores. Categorizing primates by diet can be subjective and reductionist as different researchers may define a given dietary category differently and primate diet tends to be quite complex, varying seasonally, for example. As the earliest members of the order Primates were said to experience a shift from insectivory to frugivory, it is important to develop methods to study that dietary shift. The following work treats diet as a continuous variable as the percentage of foraging time spent feeding on insects (%insects) instead of categorizing primates by broad dietary categories. Extant taxa were chosen for this analysis where both relevant dietary data were available in the literature, as well as previously published dental topographic data; in this case Dirichlet normal energy (DNE), which is a measure of surface curvature or sharpness. This study considered 16 non-folivorous primate taxa that vary in %insects, including tarsiers, lorises, galagos, lemurs, platyrrhines, and a cercopithecoid. Results suggest that as taxa spend more of their foraging time feeding on insects, their molar curvature increases. A phylogenetic generalized least squares regression suggests that %insects is significantly correlated ( P < 0.001) and a moderate predictor ( R 2 = 0.579) of molar curvature. This method of treating diet as a continuous variable served as a more nuanced approach to characterize variation in molar topography compared to previous methods of categorizing taxa by diet. Overall, these results provide further evidence that DNE is a useful method for capturing molar shape relevant to important dietary transitions throughout primate evolution, and that treating an aspect of diet as a continuous variable rather than a categorical variable provides insight into important differences in molar form among primates and mammals more generally.</p>","PeriodicalId":520627,"journal":{"name":"Folia primatologica; international journal of primatology","volume":" ","pages":"1-11"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2026-02-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146260653","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Chloé N M Gherardi, Harizo Georginnot Rijamanalina, Chazal Tatamoniaina Vololontsoa, Bruno Ramorasata, Andry Narcisse Rahajanirina, Jean-Luc Raharison, Karen E Samonds, Mitchell T Irwin
{"title":"Activity, diet and food chemistry of two small nocturnal lemurs, Avahi laniger and Lepilemur mustelinus.","authors":"Chloé N M Gherardi, Harizo Georginnot Rijamanalina, Chazal Tatamoniaina Vololontsoa, Bruno Ramorasata, Andry Narcisse Rahajanirina, Jean-Luc Raharison, Karen E Samonds, Mitchell T Irwin","doi":"10.1163/14219980-bja10074","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1163/14219980-bja10074","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Collecting observational data on nocturnal lemurs in the wild is challenging, resulting in limited information on their natural history, ecology, and evolution. Avahi laniger and Lepilemur mustelinus are two small, nocturnal lemurs that appear to defy the rules of folivory (being almost exclusively folivorous despite small body size) and are highly understudied. This research aimed to describe the nutritional ecology of these lemurs to better understand their adaptations to a folivorous diet. We collected eight weeks of behavioural data, including feeding behaviour, in October-December 2020 in Tsinjoarivo, Madagascar. Additionally, we collected thirty-three plant foods, which we observed the two species consuming, for nutritional analyses. Both species were mostly observed resting, a common behavioural adaptation for processing a folivorous diet, but differed in periods of peak feeding behaviour. A. laniger and L. mustelinus had very little dietary overlap: only five of 34 total plant species were consumed by both species and one of these shared foods was the same species, but different parts. The nutritional composition of A. laniger and L. mustelinus' foods were largely similar, but diverged in one nutritional variable: L. mustelinus consumed foods higher in available protein than A. laniger. Both species also approached plant secondary metabolites differently: A. laniger tolerated tannins while as L. mustelinus tended to avoid them. This research, the first nutritional ecology study of Avahi laniger and Lepilemur mustelinus in Tsinjoarivo, is consistent with previous suggestions of niche separation through food chemistry.</p>","PeriodicalId":520627,"journal":{"name":"Folia primatologica; international journal of primatology","volume":" ","pages":"1-14"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146260613","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}