The common name for Eulemur collaris, is debatable. They're sometimes known as the red collared lemur, the collared brown lemur, or even a combination of the two, the red collared brown lemur. This name debate potentially comes from the notable sexual dimorphism between the male and female individuals. The male lemurs are brownish-gray with a dark stripe of fur down their backs whereas females have reddish to brown bodies and a gray face. Both have the same striking red-orange eyes. [1].
Unlike most lemur species, the collared lemur is not female dominant and shows no clear dominance hierarchy. They are a sociable species and live in groups ranging from 3-12 individuals. Larger groups can form based on food availability [2]. However, the costal forests in Madagascar they call home have become more fragmented due to slash and burn agriculture and charcoal production. The collared lemur is now considered endangered in the wild but there are successful breeding populations in captivity. Conservationists hope they can reintroduce these populations back into the wild as they play an integral role as seed dispersers in their ecosystems [3].
Today, we release the genome for the collared lemur, Eulemur collaris)! This is a $1K genome assembly with a contig N50 = 44 Kb and a scaffold N50 = 110 Mb (browse the map below). For assembly procedure details, please see our Methods page. Many thanks to the Duke Lemur Center for providing the sample used for this genome assembly! Consider symbolically adopting a lemur here, to support animal care at the Duke Lemur Center as well as conservation programs in Madagascar.
This is the 5th lemur species we've released here on the DNA Zoo! Check out the assembly pages for these fascinating primates, Blue-eyed black lemur (E. flavifrons), Mongoose lemur (E. mongoz), Gray mouse lemur (M. murinus), and finally the Coquerel's sifaka (P. coquereli). There's more lemur species to come, so make sure you're subscribed to our mailing list to ensure you don't miss our latest releases!
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