Hello everyone! I open this thread because I cannot find information about this topic, and I 'm curious ... Can anyone give me information on the zoo where they have the greatest number of species of lemurs in Europe? (number and species name, if possible) Thank you very much in advance!
Mulhouse Zoo in France has a great collection of lemurs, I don't know, if is it the biggest, but one of them, with a lot of rare species, I've visted the zoo 10 days ago. Sorry, I don't know the english names for all the lemurs of that zoo, but I'm pretty sure, somebody here can help you.
^^ Thanks Zebraduiker,I found information about this collection,in a French Forum and they says "8 species for Mulhouse" Bioparc Valencia have 7, any more?
Mulhouse has: Red ruffed lemurs Black & white ruffed lemurs Crowned lemurs Redbellied lemurs Black lemurs Mongoose lemurs White-collared brown lemur Alaotran gentle lemur Verreauxs sifaka I can't remember seeing a larger collection, but maybe someone else can?
Cologne in germany had once one of the biggest and finest collection of lemurs in europe, but most of them are gone now, just a few species left...What about Apenheul in the Netherlands ?
Vincennes (Paris) also once had a great lemur collection of rarely seen lemurs. It was the first zoo where I saw aye-aye, sifaka, Coquerels’s mouse lemur and bamboo lemur. It is still the only zoo where I have ever seen fork-marked lemur (Phaner furcifer) and sportive lemur (Lepilemur).
Not in the running for the most but we do have 6 here in Jersey Aye Aye, red ruffed lemur, black and white ruffed lemur, alaotran gentle lemur, ringtailed lemurs, and red fronted brown lemurs,
7 for IOW Zoo Ringtail 7 Red Ruffed 2 Black & White Ruffed 3 White Fronted Brown 2 (inc. one from Cologne b 1982) Mongoose 6? Black 2 Grey Mouse 2
9 for Plzen Lac Alaotra bamboo lemur Fat-tailed dwarf lemur (= Lesser dwarf lemur) Gray mouse-lemur Ring-tailed lemur Black lemur Red ruffed lemur Red-fronted lemur Common brown lemur Black and white ruffed lemur only 8 for Ostrava Ring-tailed lemur Crowned lemur Black lemur Red-bellied lemur Red ruffed lemur Black and white ruffed lemur Sclater's black lemur White-fronted lemur
Cotswold - 10: Ring-tailed Collared Black Mongoose Red-bellied Broad-nosed Gentle Black-and-White Ruffed Grey Mouse Crowned Sifaka Alaotran Gentle Actually matches Mulhouse, number-of-species-wise, on 9. EDIT: Actually, 10! Missed off Alaotran - anyone beat 10?
That's an amazing number of species compared to the two I saw on my first visit! Where are the Mongoose, Red-Bellied, Broad-Nosed Gentle and Grey Mouse Lemurs, as I don't remember these species as being part of the 'Madagascar' Exhibit.
Broad-nosed Gentles are in the back yard behind the Walled Garden - directly opposite the Yellow Mongooses. Mongoose Lemurs are in the Walled Garden - by the weaver aviary (where the Alaotrans were kept for a while before moving to 'Madagascar'. The Grey Mouse Lemur(s?) is mixed with Malagasy Jumping Rat in the old weaver aviary opposite the exit to the main Madagascar enclosure. Might be the lateness of the hour but I can't for the life of me recall exactly where the Red-bellies are - around the Walled Garden/Madagascar area somewhere, I think.
7: crowned sifaka ringtailed lemurs red ruffed lemurs black & white ruffed lemurs red bellied lemurs alaotra gentle lemurs black lemurs
Just a small point, but several 'species' mentioned are only subspecies (depending on your taxonomy). Ruffed lemurs are usually considered one species as are the brown lemurs (collared, white-fronts etc). Blacks and Slater's are also usually the same species.
Actually recent taxonomic reviews have resulted in most of these forms now being considered distinct species. In his book Primate Taxonomy (2001) Colin Groves considers that red ruffed lemurs and black & white ruffed lemurs are, indeed, two distinct species. Similarly, Groves considers that brown lemurs, white-collared collared lemurs and white fronted-lemurs are all different species. This view is also supported by Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (Wilson & Reeder).
Another UK zoo with an excellent lemur collection is the South Lakes Wild Animal Park. It's a year or two since I have visited but the public were able not only to walk amongst the lemurs but also to feed them at a designated time during the Summer months (with individual fruit items provided by the zoo) - this was quite an experience! Lemurs on exhibit included: Alaotran gentle lemurs Belted ruffed lemurs Black and white ruffed lemurs Red ruffed lemurs Black lemurs White-fronted brown lemurs Ring-tailed lemurs Mongoose lemurs
They are different species if following the phylogenetic species concept that C. Groves follows. Some think this is right but others prefer the more traditional biological species concept where the status as separate species is more questionable. Using the primate chapter in 'Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference' as independent support of the views of C. Groves is problematic because he wrote the chapter. Like saying C. Groves supports the views of C. Groves.
Having visited Cotswold on Saturday, I have to unfortunately report that the park no longer has Black and White Ruffed Lemurs or Grey Mouse Lemurs (speaking to the keepers it seems the former were disposed of for troublemaking in the walkthrough and the latter have died). The park is therefore down to 8 lemur species: Alaotran Gentle Broad-nosed Gentle Crowned Sifaka Ring-tailed Collared Mongoose Red-bellied Black ...which I think puts Mulhouse back into the lead on 9.
