''Microcebus jonahi'', or Jonah's mouse lemur, is tiny species of
primate
Primates are a diverse order of mammals. They are divided into the strepsirrhines, which include the lemurs, galagos, and lorisids, and the haplorhines, which include the tarsiers and the simians (monkeys and apes, the latter including huma ...
. It weighs 60 g and has a body length of around 13 cm and its tail measures around 13 cm as well. It is the 25th recognized species of
mouse lemur and the 108th recognized species of
lemur.
Description
Jonah's mouse lemur has small ears and the characteristic huge eyes of lemurs with a distinct white stripe between the eyes. It has short, dense fur with a white with slightly yellowish belly and a brownish back. It weighs 60 g and has a body length of around 13 cm and its tail measures around 13 cm as well.
Distribution
Jonah's mouse lemur lives in northeastern
Madagascar
Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...
, including within the protected
Mananara National Park
Mananara Nord National Park is a national park near Mananara Nord in the Analanjirofo Region of Madagascar. The closest city is Toamasina.
It also includes a marine park of 1000 ha near the village Sahasoa, with 3 islands, 3.5 km off Sahasoa ...
. The species was named after Malagasy primatologist Dr.
Jonah Ratsimbazafy.
Conservation status
The forested area in the region where the Jonah's mouse lemur is found is undergoing massive
deforestation
Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. The most concentrated d ...
. In northeast Madagascar, forest cover declined from in the early 1990s to in 2018. Once an uninterrupted stretch of
rainforest
Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...
, it has been whittled down to fragments. The fragmentation is expected to intensify, stranding the mouse lemurs, curtailing their access to
food
Food is any substance consumed by an organism for nutritional support. Food is usually of plant, animal, or fungal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals. The substance is inge ...
, and narrowing their
genetic diversity
Genetic diversity is the total number of genetic characteristics in the genetic makeup of a species, it ranges widely from the number of species to differences within species and can be attributed to the span of survival for a species. It is dis ...
.
See also
*
List of primates described in the 2020s
This is a list of primates described in the 2020s. As primates are a well-studied group, species that are unknown to science are rare. However, recent advances in DNA sequencing have allowed scientists to compare populations and test for distinct l ...
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q97961729
Mammals described in 2020
Mouse lemurs