The fat-tailed dwarf lemur stores fat in its tail and uses those reserves during its season of torpor.
Its coat is mostly gray, with pale fur on the underside and the insides of the legs. The tail is about as long as the body and swells as fat accumulates before torpor.
Researchers studied seasonal encounter rates of fat-tailed dwarf lemurs in Sahamalaza-Iles Radama National Park in north-western Madagascar. They established 60 transects and completed 264 surveys from June 2018 to May 2022, recording 130 animals. Encounter rates were higher in the wet season and particularly low from May to August.
The authors linked the dry-season drop to more lemurs being inactive or hibernating. Six animals were still recorded from May through August. Density estimates differed between wet and dry seasons, showing how the survey period corresponded with changing encounter rates at this transitional-forest site.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
Across 60 transects and 264 surveys in Sahamalaza-Iles Radama National Park, researchers recorded 130 fat-tailed dwarf lemurs over four years. Encounter rates were higher in the wet season and especially low from May to August, a period when some animals may be hibernating. Wet- and dry-season density estimates differed. The authors connected seasonal activity with the design of population surveys at this site.