Brown Mouse Lemur

Taxobox
name = Brown Mouse LemurMSW3 Groves|pages=113]

---

image_width = 277px
status = LC
status_system = iucn3.1
status_ref = IUCN2006|assessors=Ganzhorn "et al"|year=2000|id=13324|title=Microcebus rufus|downloaded=12 May 2006]
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Mammalia
ordo = Primates
familia = Cheirogaleidae
genus = "Microcebus"
species = "M. rufus"
binomial = "Microcebus rufus"
binomial_authority = É. Geoffroy, 1834

The Brown Mouse Lemur ("Microcebus rufus") is a small primate, and like the other mouse lemurs can only be found on the island of Madagascar. They are known also as the Red Mouse Lemur, the Eastern Rufous Mouse Lemur or the Russet Mouse Lemur. Its dorsal side is brown or reddish-brown, while ventrally it is a whitish-grey.

It was originally considered a subspecies of the Gray Mouse Lemur ("Microcebus murinus") until 1977, when it was reclassified as a separate species.

The mouse lemurs are among the shortest-lived of primates. The Brown Mouse Lemur has a lifespan of 6-8 years in the wild, although it averages 12 years under human care. [cite web | url = http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Microcebus_rufus.html | title = Animal Diversity Web | accessdate = 2008-03-26]

It can be found in rainforests in Eastern Madagascar, and is widely distributed. It is a solitary and nocturnal creature.

References