How big does a Greater bamboo lemur get? Here is an overview over the average adult age:
A grown Greater bamboo lemur (Prolemur simus) reaches an average size of 37 cm (1′ 3″).
When born, they have an average size of 0 cm (0′ 0″). Usually, they reach an age of 12 years. A full-grown exemplary reaches roughly 2.03 kg (4.48 lbs). Talking about reproduction, Greater bamboo lemurs have 1 babies about 1 times per year. The Greater bamboo lemur (genus: Prolemur) is a member of the family Lemuridae.
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 greater bamboo lemur (Prolemur simus), also known as the broad-nosed bamboo lemur and the broad-nosed gentle lemur, is the largest bamboo lemur, at over five pounds or nearly 2.5 kilograms. It has greyish brown fur and white ear tufts, and has a head-body length of around one and a half feet, or forty to fifty centimeters. They have relatively long tails and long back legs for leaping vertically amongst the trees of their forest habitat. It feeds almost exclusively on the bamboo species of Cathariostachys madagascariensis, preferring the shoots but also eating the pith and leaves. It is unknown how their metabolism deals with the cyanide found in the shoots. The typical daily dose would be enough to kill humans. Greater bamboo lemurs occasionally consume fungi, flowers, and fruit. Its main food source is bamboo and it is the main reason why it has become critically endangered. Areas with high density of bamboo have major human disturbances, where humans cut or illegally cut down bamboo.Its only confirmed predators are the fossa and the bushpigs, but raptors are also suspected. Its current range is restricted to southeastern Madagascar, although fossils indicate its former range extended across bigger areas of the island, including as far north as Ankarana. Some notable parts of the current range are the Ranomafana and Andringitra National Parks.Greater bamboo lemurs live in groups of up to 28. Individuals are extremely gregarious. The species may be the only lemur in which the male is dominant, although this is not certain. Because of their social nature, greater bamboo lemurs have at least seven different calls. Males have been observed taking bamboo pith away from females that had put significant effort into opening the bamboo stems. In captivity, greater bamboo lemurs have lived over the age of 17.
Animals of the same family as a Greater bamboo lemur
We found other animals of the Lemuridae family:
- Greater bamboo lemur with a size of 37 cm (1′ 3″)
- Common brown lemur with a size of 46.3 cm (1′ 7″)
- Black-and-white ruffed lemur with a size of 54.7 cm (1′ 10″)
- Black lemur with a size of 39.7 cm (1′ 4″)
- Sanford’s brown lemur bringing 2.39 kilos (5.27 lbs) to the scale
- Gray-headed lemur bringing 2.4 kilos (5.29 lbs) to the scale
- Golden bamboo lemur with a size of 30.5 cm (1′ 1″)
- Red ruffed lemur bringing 3.87 kilos (8.53 lbs) to the scale
- Crowned lemur with a size of 35.2 cm (1′ 2″)
- Ring-tailed lemur with a size of 42.5 cm (1′ 5″)
Animals with the same size as a Greater bamboo lemur
Not that size really matters, but it makes things comparable. So here are a couple of animals that are as big as Greater bamboo lemur:
- Ring-tailed vontsira with a size of 35.2 cm (1′ 2″)
- Mongoose lemur with a size of 35.4 cm (1′ 2″)
- Lesser grison with a size of 42.4 cm (1′ 5″)
- Bare-eared squirrel monkey with a size of 30.9 cm (1′ 1″)
- Spotted linsang with a size of 35.4 cm (1′ 2″)
- Rio Tapajós saki with a size of 39.9 cm (1′ 4″)
- Black-footed ferret with a size of 39.7 cm (1′ 4″)
- Dice’s cottontail with a size of 37.4 cm (1′ 3″)
- Eastern bettong with a size of 33.1 cm (1′ 2″)
- Indian grey mongoose with a size of 39.8 cm (1′ 4″)
Animals with the same litter size as a Greater bamboo lemur
Here is a list of animals that have the same number of babies per litter (1) as a Greater bamboo lemur:
- Preuss’s monkey
- Lumholtz’s tree-kangaroo
- Guinea baboon
- Red-tailed squirrel
- Moonshine shrew
- Rusty pipistrelle
- Green bush squirrel
- Tree bat
- Moor macaque
- Caspian seal
Animals with the same life expectancy as a Greater bamboo lemur
Completely different animals, but becoming as old as a Greater bamboo lemur:
- Greater spear-nosed bat with an average maximal age of 10 years
- Small Indian civet with an average maximal age of 10.5 years
- Prince Demidoff’s bushbaby with an average maximal age of 14 years
- Blue duiker with an average maximal age of 12 years
- Groundhog with an average maximal age of 10 years
- Greater false vampire bat with an average maximal age of 14 years
- Bioko Allen’s bushbaby with an average maximal age of 12 years
- Striped polecat with an average maximal age of 13.33 years
- Greater bamboo lemur with an average maximal age of 12 years
- Muskrat with an average maximal age of 10 years
Animals with the same weight as a Greater bamboo lemur
As a comparison, here are some other animals that weight as much as the Prolemur simus:
- Ruddy mongoose with a weight of 1.7 kilos (3.75 lbs)
- Southern giant slender-tailed cloud rat with a weight of 1.84 kilos (4.06 lbs)
- Gambian mongoose with a weight of 1.64 kilos (3.62 lbs)
- Mongoose lemur with a weight of 1.77 kilos (3.9 lbs)
- Swift fox with a weight of 2.11 kilos (4.65 lbs)
- Steppe polecat with a weight of 1.69 kilos (3.73 lbs)
- Crowned lemur with a weight of 1.7 kilos (3.75 lbs)
- Natal red rock hare with a weight of 2.42 kilos (5.34 lbs)
- Subalpine woolly rat with a weight of 1.99 kilos (4.39 lbs)
- Steppe polecat with a weight of 1.68 kilos (3.7 lbs)