Publications

coordination of group movements in wild red-fronted lemurs (eulemur rufifrons): processes and influence of ecological and reproductive seasonality.	group-living species have to coordinate collective actions to maintain cohesion. in primates, spatial movements represent a meaningful model to study group coordination processes across different socio-ecological contexts. we studied 4 groups of red-fronted lemurs (eulemur rufifrons) in kirindy forest, madagascar, between 2008 and 2010 across different ecological and reproductive seasons. we collected data on ranging patterns using gps collars and observational data on different predefined param ...	2011	22207771
morphological characterization of a brown lemur hybrid zone (eulemur rufifrons × e. cinereiceps).	hybridization has recently been identified as a pervasive force in the evolution of primates. in this study, we characterized a hybrid zone between two species of brown lemur (eulemur rufifrons and e. cinereiceps) in the andringitra region of southeastern madagascar using morphological traits. we immobilized animals along a north-south transect (∼80 km), scored them for their degree of hybridity using pelage traits and measured standard morphometric variables. results from our study suggest that ...	2011	21312177
wild redfronted lemurs (eulemur rufifrons) use social information to learn new foraging techniques.	recent research has claimed that traditions are not a unique feature of human culture, but that they can be found in animal societies as well. however, the origins of traditions in animals studied in the wild are still poorly understood. to contribute comparative data to begin filling this gap, we conducted a social diffusion experiment with four groups of wild redfronted lemurs (eulemur rufifrons). we used a 'two-option' feeding box, where these malagasy primates could either pull or push a doo ...	2012	22426747
on the function of redfronted lemur's close calls.	in order to maintain group cohesion, many social mammals and birds regularly produce close calls. in some primate species, close calls appear to have a dual function: calls addressed at a broad class of targets serve to maintain group cohesion, whereas the same calls directed at a specific target serve to regulate subsequent social interactions. redfronted lemurs (eulemur rufifrons) produce different types of close calls: grunts, long grunts, hoos and meows. in order to study the function of the ...	2012	22573307
female reproductive competition in eulemur rufifrons: eviction and reproductive restraint in a plurally breeding malagasy primate.	in mammals with female philopatry, co-resident females inevitably compete with each other for resources or reproductive opportunities, thereby reducing the kin-selected benefits of altruism towards relatives. these counteracting forces of cooperation and competition among kin should be particularly pronounced in plurally breeding species with limited alternative breeding opportunities outside the natal group. however, little is still known about the costs of reproductive competition on females' ...	2012	21880091
a novel feeding behaviour in wild redfronted lemurs (eulemur rufifrons): depletion of spider nests.	reports on behavioural innovations in wild primate populations as well as on their transmission are rare. here, we report observations suggesting that redfronted lemurs (eulemur rufifrons) invent new behaviours in the wild. we observed a novel feeding behaviour in redfronted lemurs in kirindy forest, western madagascar. the feeding behaviour consisted of depletion of nests of a social spider species (stegodyphus sp.). the behaviour was observed in only one out of four study groups, although spid ...	2013	23661028
clinal variation in a brown lemur (eulemur spp.) hybrid zone: combining morphological, genetic and climatic data to examine stability.	studies of hybrid zones can inform our understanding of reproductive isolation and speciation. two species of brown lemur (eulemur rufifrons and e. cinereiceps) form an apparently stable hybrid zone in the andringitra region of southeastern madagascar. the aim of this study was to identify factors that contribute to this stability. we sampled animals at 11 sites along a 90-km transect through the hybrid zone and examined variation in 26 microsatellites, the d-loop region of mitochondrial dna, si ...	2013	23865455
determinants and outcomes of decision-making, group coordination and social interactions during a foraging experiment in a wild primate.	social animals have to coordinate joint movements to maintain group cohesion, but the latter is often compromised by diverging individual interests. a widespread behavioral mechanism to achieve coordination relies on shared or unshared consensus decision-making. if consensus costs are high, group fission represents an alternative tactic. exploring determinants and outcomes of spontaneous group decisions and coordination of free-ranging animals is methodologically challenging. we therefore conduc ...	2013	23326392
manual lateralization in wild redfronted lemurs (eulemur rufifrons) during spontaneous actions and in an experimental task.	the dominant use of one hand is a striking feature of humans, but manual lateralization can be found in a variety of other species as well. in primates, the lateralization in hand use varies among species and several theories such as the "postural origin," "task complexity," or "development theory" have been suggested to explain this variation. in order to contribute comparative data on this phenomenon from a basal primate, we studied manual lateralization in wild redfronted lemurs (eulemur rufi ...	2014	24318942
innovation and behavioral flexibility in wild redfronted lemurs (eulemur rufifrons).	innovations and problem-solving abilities can provide animals with important ecological advantages as they allow individuals to deal with novel social and ecological challenges. innovation is a solution to a novel problem or a novel solution to an old problem, with the latter being especially difficult. finding a new solution to an old problem requires individuals to inhibit previously applied solutions to invent new strategies and to behave flexibly. we examined the role of experience on cognit ...	2015	25673157
patterns of dental macrowear in subfossil lemur catta from ankilitelo cave, madagascar: indications of ecology and habitat use over time.	the ankilitelo cave site, madagascar, contains a large collection of extant and recently extinct subfossil lemurs including the extant taxa lemur catta and eulemur rufifrons, which today are rarely found in sympatry. dates for this assemblage range from 300 to 13,000 bp, though known dates for extinct primate specimens range between ∼500 and ∼600 bp. data from ankilitelo l. catta and e. rufifrons were compared to assess tooth wear in sympatric, related forms. wear was scored using an ordinal sca ...	2015	26022310
the role of acoustic signals for species recognition in redfronted lemurs (eulemur rufifrons).	signals are essential for communication and play a fundamental role in the evolution and diversification of species. olfactory, visual and acoustic species-specific signals have been shown to function for species recognition in non-human primates, but the relative contributions of selection for species recognition driven by sexual selection, natural selection, or genetic drift for the diversification of these signals remain largely unexplored. this study investigates the importance of acoustic s ...	2016	27175922
energy (im-)balance in frugivorous lemurs in southern madagascar: a preliminary study in lemur catta and eulemur rufifrons × collaris.	the reproductive cycle of several lemur species is synchronized by photoperiodic changes and it is attuned to the seasonal fluctuations in food supply. nevertheless, irregular periods of food shortage occur in madagascar, which can result in a negative energy balance and reduced fitness, especially in frugivorous species. here, we tested whether ring-tailed lemurs (lemur catta) and brown lemurs (eulemur rufifrons × collaris) use fat stores to maintain their energy balance in a gallery forest of ...	2018	30286458
the role of facial pattern variation for species recognition in red-fronted lemurs (eulemur rufifrons).	species recognition, i.e., the ability to distinguish conspecifics from heterospecifics, plays an essential role in reproduction. the role of facial cues for species recognition has been investigated in several non-human primate species except for lemurs. we therefore investigated the role of facial cues for species recognition in wild red-fronted lemurs (eulemur rufifrons) at kirindy forest. we presented adult red-fronted lemurs pictures of male faces from five species including red-fronted lem ...	2018	29433448
potential self-medication using millipede secretions in red-fronted lemurs: combining anointment and ingestion for a joint action against gastrointestinal parasites?	self-anointing, referring to the behaviour of rubbing a material object or foreign substance over different parts of the body, has been observed in several vertebrate species, including primates. several functions, such as detoxifying a rich food source, social communication and protection against ectoparasites, have been proposed to explain this behaviour. here, we report observations of six wild red-fronted lemurs (eulemur rufifrons) of both sexes and different age classes anointing their peri ...	2018	30058024
determining mhc-drb profiles in wild populations of three congeneric true lemur species by noninvasive methods.	the major histocompatibility complex (mhc) is a highly polymorphic and polygenic genomic region that plays a crucial role in immune-related diseases. given the need for comparative studies on the variability of immunologically important genes among wild populations and species, we investigated the allelic variation of mhc class ii drb among three congeneric true lemur species: the red-fronted lemur (eulemur rufifrons), red-bellied lemur (eulemur rubriventer), and black lemur (eulemur macaco). we ...	2019	30324236
should i stay or should i go? individual movement decisions during group departures in red-fronted lemurs.	collective movements are essential for maintaining group cohesion. however, group members can have different optimal departure times, depending on individual, social and contextual factors whose relative importance remains poorly known. we, therefore, studied collective departures in four groups of red-fronted lemurs (eulemur rufifrons) in kirindy forest, madagascar, to investigate the influence of an individual's age, sex, their affiliative relationships and their proximity to other group membe ...	2019	31031989