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Zoologists have spotted forest cats and dogs hunting lemurs in Madagascar. These predators appeared on the island relatively recently, so the lemurs do not know how to defend themselves against them, but together with local predator species, they can significantly accelerate the decline of the already rare lemur population. About this informed Phys.org portal.
Which lemurs were attacked by cats and dogs?
For 14 months, zoologists collected a variety of data, including photos from 9 camera traps installed in Madagascar's Beza Mahafali reserve, samples of predator excrement and eyewitness accounts, to understand who was hunting the lemurs. The island is home to four species of these animals: cat lemur, crested indri, white-footed lemur and mouse lemur. And all of them, except for the mouse, are endangered or on the verge of extinction.
During the study period, scientists recorded 13 cases of predator attacks on lemurs, of which at least six were probably killed by dogs or cats. Another five were killed either by forest cats or fossa — feline predators from the forests of Madagascar that leave similar teeth marks. This study shows that lemurs may be threatened not only by deforestation in Madagascar, but also by uncontrolled breeding of introduced predators.
