How big does a Gray mouse lemur get? Here is an overview over the average adult age:
A grown Gray mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus) reaches an average size of 14 cm (0′ 6″).
When born, they have an average size of 0 cm (0′ 0″). During their lifetime of about 15.5 years, they grow from 4 grams (0.01 lbs) to 68 grams (0.15 lbs). A Gray mouse lemur has 2 babies at once. The Gray mouse lemur (genus: Microcebus) is a member of the family Cheirogaleidae.
As a reference: Humans reach an average body size of 1.65m (5′ 5″) while carrying 62 kg (137 lbs). A human woman is pregnant for 280 days (40 weeks) and on average become 75 years old.
The gray mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus), grey mouse lemur or lesser mouse lemur, is a small lemur, a type of strepsirrhine primate, found only on the island of Madagascar. Weighing 58 to 67 grams (2.0 to 2.4 oz), it is the largest of the mouse lemurs (genus Microcebus), a group that includes the smallest primates in the world. The species is named for its mouse-like size and coloration and is known locally (in Malagasy) as tsidy, koitsiky, titilivaha, pondiky, and vakiandry. The gray mouse lemur and all other mouse lemurs are considered cryptic species, as they are nearly indistinguishable from each other by appearance. For this reason, the gray mouse lemur was considered the only mouse lemur species for decades until more recent studies began to distinguish between the species.Like all mouse lemurs, this species is nocturnal and arboreal. It is very active, and though it forages alone, groups of males and females form sleeping groups and share tree holes during the day. It exhibits a form of dormancy called torpor during the cool, dry winter months, and in some cases undergoes seasonal torpor (or hibernation), which is unusual for primates. The gray mouse lemur can be found in several types of forest throughout western and southern Madagascar. Its diet consists primarily of fruit, insects, flowers, and nectar. In the wild, its natural predators include owls, snakes, and endemic mammalian predators. Predation pressure is higher for this species than among any other primate species, with one out of four individuals taken by a predator each year. This is counterbalanced by its high reproductive rate. Breeding is seasonal, and distinct vocalizations are used to prevent hybridization with species that overlap its range. Gestation lasts approximately 60 days, and typically two young are born. The offspring are usually independent in two months, and can reproduce after one year. The gray mouse lemur has a reproductive lifespan of five years, although captive individuals have been reported to live up to 15 years.Although threatened by deforestation, habitat degradation, and live capture for the pet trade, it is considered one of Madagascar’s most abundant small native mammals. It can tolerate moderate food shortages by experiencing daily torpor to conserve energy, but extended food shortages due to climate change may pose a significant risk to the species.
Animals of the same family as a Gray mouse lemur
We found other animals of the Cheirogaleidae family:
- Reddish-gray mouse lemur with a weight of 70 grams
- Golden-brown mouse lemur with a weight of 58 grams
- Microcebus coquereli with a size of 23.1 cm (0′ 10″)
- Fat-tailed dwarf lemur with a size of 22.5 cm (0′ 9″)
- Brown mouse lemur with a size of 14.3 cm (0′ 6″)
- Pygmy mouse lemur with a size of 14.1 cm (0′ 6″)
- Hairy-eared dwarf lemur with a size of 13.3 cm (0′ 6″)
- Coquerel’s giant mouse lemur with a size of 23.1 cm (0′ 10″)
- Sambirano mouse lemur with a weight of 49 grams
- Madame Berthe’s mouse lemur with a weight of 33 grams
Animals with the same size as a Gray mouse lemur
Not that size really matters, but it makes things comparable. So here are a couple of animals that are as big as Gray mouse lemur:
- Allen’s chipmunk with a size of 14.5 cm (0′ 6″)
- Chisel-toothed kangaroo rat with a size of 11.2 cm (0′ 5″)
- Pyrenean desman with a size of 12.5 cm (0′ 5″)
- Long-tailed mouse with a size of 12.8 cm (0′ 6″)
- Aegialomys galapagoensis with a size of 11.2 cm (0′ 5″)
- Indian long-eared hedgehog with a size of 16.3 cm (0′ 7″)
- White-tipped Oldfield mouse with a size of 11.4 cm (0′ 5″)
- Montane vole with a size of 12.4 cm (0′ 5″)
- Kimberley rock rat with a size of 14.6 cm (0′ 6″)
- Greater tree mouse with a size of 14.4 cm (0′ 6″)
Animals with the same litter size as a Gray mouse lemur
Here is a list of animals that have the same number of babies per litter (2) as a Gray mouse lemur:
- Sand-colored soft-furred rat
- Stripe-necked mongoose
- Lowland ringtail possum
- Allegheny woodrat
- Travancore flying squirrel
- Dobson’s shrew tenrec
- Highveld gerbil
- Cape ground squirrel
- Savi’s pipistrelle
- Seminole bat
Animals with the same life expectancy as a Gray mouse lemur
Completely different animals, but becoming as old as a Gray mouse lemur:
- Dhole with an average maximal age of 16 years
- Grant’s gazelle with an average maximal age of 12.67 years
- Natterer’s bat with an average maximal age of 15 years
- Japanese serow with an average maximal age of 18.5 years
- L’Hoest’s monkey with an average maximal age of 16 years
- Raccoon dog with an average maximal age of 14 years
- Javan warty pig with an average maximal age of 14 years
- Giant forest hog with an average maximal age of 18 years
- Soemmerring’s gazelle with an average maximal age of 15.5 years
- Long-tailed goral with an average maximal age of 13.17 years
Animals with the same weight as a Gray mouse lemur
As a comparison, here are some other animals that weight as much as the Microcebus murinus:
- Fawn-footed mosaic-tailed rat bringing 71 grams to the scale
- Indian bush rat bringing 60 grams to the scale
- Mearns’s pouched mouse bringing 64 grams to the scale
- Peruvian Oldfield mouse bringing 77 grams to the scale
- Transandinomys bolivaris bringing 60 grams to the scale
- Euryoryzomys macconnelli bringing 62 grams to the scale
- Nephelomys keaysi bringing 58 grams to the scale
- Southern big-eared mouse bringing 70 grams to the scale
- California vole bringing 57 grams to the scale
- Dibbler bringing 72 grams to the scale