C. madagascarensis contains on average 200 mu mol of cyanide per gram of bamboo (dry weight), but the amount of cyanide varies … At this point in time, we are unsure how they are able to process this harmful chemical. Bamboo lemurs were first described by French zoologist Isidore Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire in 1851. Giant bamboo (Cathariostachys madagascariensis) is a major food plant for three sympatric species of bamboo-eating lemurs (Hapalemur aureus, H. griseus, and Prolemur simus) in the rain forests of southeastern Madagascar. Hapale derives from the Greek word απαλός (hapalos), meaning "gentle". However, the measurement of cyanide concentration in bamboo shoots is hindered by many obstacles. Lemurs feed on new shoots, leaves and shrubs. The growing tips of Cephalostachyum ef uiguieri selected by the golden bamboo lemur (Hapalemuraureus) contained 15 mg of cyanide per 100 g fresh weight bamboo while the leaves of C. perrieri selected by the gentle bamboo lemur (H. griseus)and the mature culms of C. cf uiguieri selected by the greater bamboolemur (H. simus) did not contain cyanide. Bamboe maki - Bamboo lemur. Thus, the development of an effective, sensitive and simple method to determine cyanide in bamboo is important. The cyanide in bamboo shoots is, in fact, taxiphyllin. This species has evidently adapted and evolved resistance to the high levels of cyanide within the young bamboo leaves that it eats. Since each individual golden bamboo … It is about the size of a domestic cat and is 28–45 cm (11–18 in) long plus a tail of 24–40 cm (9.4–15.7 in), and on average weighs 1.6 kg (3.5 lb). According to the ICTE website, this type of bamboo produces poisonous cyanide . This plant species is strongly cyanogenic. High Energy or Protein Concentrations in Food as Possible Offsets for Cyanide Consumption by Specialized Bamboo Lemurs in Madagascar. Females have a gestation period of approximately 138 days and give birth to one infant (occasionally two) at the beginning of the rainy season, in November or December. All three species (eastern lesser bamboo lemur, golden bamboo lemur, and greater bamboo lemur) occupy territories within Ranomafana National Park. How bamboo lemurs can detoxify the high amounts of cyanide (from bamboo shoots) in their diets is unknown.[5]. International Journal of Primatology 34(3): 486-499. But the reason I am writing about little buddy the golden bamboo lemur is because it eats primarily the fresh young shoots of the giant bamboo, which are just chock full of cyanide. They live in a small group of two to six people and have an area of 80 hectares (0.31 square miles). Many other animals eat bamboo as a small part of their diet. And the island country’s Critically Endangered greater bamboo lemurs (Prolemur simus, formerly known as Hapalemur simus), the largest of the bamboo lemurs, also processes cyanide with no ill effect. The mechanism by which this small primate avoids the acute and chronic symptoms of cyanide poisioning is unknown. Bamboo lemurs were first described by French zoologist Isidore Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire in 1851. But the reason I am writing about little buddy the golden bamboo lemur is because it eats primarily the fresh young shoots of the giant bamboo, which are just chock full of cyanide. But generally move less than 400 meters (1,300 feet) a day. Yet some animals, including bamboo lemurs, giant pandas, and some humans, rely on these toxic foods. Other lemurs like the Coquerel’s sifaka are folivores, meaning their diet is largely made up of leaves, flowers, and bark. 2010). A greater bamboo lemur in Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar, in 2000. Studies suggest that golden bamboo lemurs’ gastrointestinal tract and kidneys absorb the cyanide, as it has tested positive in urine but rarely in fecal matter. 1989; Yamashita et al. The HCNp ranged from 209±72 μmol cyanide*g-1 dwt in Cathariostachys madagascariensis to no cyanide in Bambusa madagascariensis. Prolemur simus The main food source of the Greater Bamboo Lemur, C. madagascarensis, contains high amounts of cyanide (Olson et al., 2013). Being a bamboo specialist isn’t easy. The Golden bamboo lemur has evolved with a resistance to the extreme levels of cyanide in the leaves of the young bamboo that it eats. Among three sympatric bamboo lemur species, the greater bamboo lemur (Prolemur simus) has the narrowest food range as it almost exclusively feeds on the highly cyanogenic C. madagascariensis. These bamboo growing shoots contain 0.015% (1 part of 6667) of cyanide. ... De bamboe of zachte lemuren zijn de lemuren in het geslacht Hapalemur. 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