The Fear of Monkeys - The Best E-Zine on the Web for Politically Conscious WritingWhite-footed Sportive Lemur - Issue Forty-Nine
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White-footed Sportive Lemur  from Christiano Artuso The White-footed Sportive Lemur is endemic to Madagascar, inhabiting the southern subtropical or tropical dry shrubland where they eat mainly leaves. During the dry season they may depend entirely on the leaves and flowers of Alluaudia species. They are coprophagous, consuming and redigesting their feces to further breakdown of the cellulose contained in it. They are similar to other lemurs in the family, with a grey back, a pale grey to white ventral side, and a light brown tail. They range from 24-26 cm in length and their tail from 21-26 cm while their weight averages 0.54 kg, which perhaps explains while they are nocturnal and move through the forest using a vertical clinging and leaping technique. Males live in solidarity and have territories that will overlap those of one or more females. Males may meet with females during the night for foraging and social grooming and the species is polygynous. They defend their territory by monitoring it and vocalizing loudly when strangers approach and both genders may engage in physical combat to defend their territory. Mothers give birth to one offspring a year after a 4.5-month gestation period. Breeding happens between May and July, and births happen between September and November. They are born with their big eyes open and the ability to cling to branches. Infants are highly vulnerable, so mothers take great care to keep them close by. When leaving their nest to forage at night, a mother transports her young in her mouth and places them in nearby branches while she eats. After about a month, they are able to climb and jump. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature lists the white-footed sportive lemur as Endangered with the number of mature individuals is decreasing due to habitat loss and degradation. Primarily, their main threats are annual burning practices to create new pastures for livestock as well as tree harvesting for charcoal production and timber. Climate change also affects them. Their spiny forest is known as one of the driest and most unpredictable climates in all of Africa, making white-footed sportive lemurs' habitats especially vulnerable to climate change.

   


Under Comments

by

John Grey

You could say the kid
deserved what he got.
In fact, you are saying it,
there, in the comments section,
under the internet article.

According to the evidence
of your postings,
he was probably a drug dealer.
Or a junkie.
Or a thief.
Or a killer even.
Maybe all four.
He doesn't look like a victim,
not even when there's blood pouring
from a cut above his right eye.

You could say that
if more of these immigrants
got kicked around, beat up
by the law once in a while,
they'd know to stay away.
He's in a gang is
what you're telling me.
It's what you think
so it must be true.

There'll be an inquiry.
There always is.
You could say
how can the cops do their job
if they're being held back all the time
by sappy bleeding-heart liberals.
You don't ask the question.
You just say it.
And you only wish you were a cop
and could get in some punching and kicking
of your own.
But you get off on being anonymous.
There are times you're unaware
it's even you.


John Grey is an Australian poet, US resident, recently published in New World Writing, California Quarterly and Lost Pilots. Latest books, “Between Two Fires”, “Covert” and “Memory Outside The Head” are available through Amazon. Work upcoming in Isotrope Literary Journal, Seventh Quarry, La Presa and Doubly Mad.


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