The gray mouse lemur is a small lemur, a type of strepsirrhine primate, found only on the island of Madagascar. Nearly indistinguishable from each other by appearance, the gray mouse lemur and all other mouse lemurs are considered cryptic species. For this reason, the gray mouse lemur was considered the only mouse lemur species for decades until more recent studies began to distinguish between the species. Like all mouse lemurs, this species is nocturnal and arboreal. It is very active, and although it forages alone, groups of males and females will form sleeping groups and share tree holes during the day. It exhibits a form of dormancy called torpor during the cool, dry winter months, and in some cases undergoes seasonal torpor (or hibernation), which is unusual for primates. Its diet consists primarily of fruit, insects, flowers, and nectar. In the wild, its natural predators include owls, snakes, and endemic mammalian predators. Predation pressure is higher for this species than among any other primate species, with one out of four individuals taken by a predator each year. This is counterbalanced by its high reproductive rate. Although threatened by deforestation, habitat degradation, and live capture for the pet trade, it is considered one of Madagascar's most abundant small native mammals.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gray_mouse_lemur
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1521:
After an extended siege, forces led by Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés captured Tlatoani Cuauhtémoc and conquered the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fall_of_Tenochtitlan
1868:
A major earthquake near Arica, Peru, caused an estimated 25,000 casualties, and the subsequent tsunami caused considerable damage as far away as Hawaii and New Zealand. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1868_Arica_earthquake
1906:
The all black infantrymen of the U.S. Army's 25th Infantry Regiment were accused of killing a white bartender and wounding a white police officer in Brownsville, Texas, despite exculpatory evidence; all were later dishonorably discharged. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brownsville_Affair
2004:
Hurricane Charley struck the U.S. state of Florida (damage pictured), just 22 hours after Tropical Storm Bonnie inflicted its own damage to the state. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Charley
2010:
Canadian authorities boarded the MV Sun Sea and placed the 492 Sri Lankan Tamil refugees on board into detention, drawing criticism from international civil rights groups. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Sun_Sea_incident
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
erratic: (geology) A rock moved from one location to another, usually by a glacier. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/erratic
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
I believe in the supreme excellence of righteousness; I believe that the law of righteousness will triumph in the universe over all evil; I believe that in the attempt to fulfil the law of righteousness, however imperfect it must remain, are to be found the inspiration, the consolation, and the sanctification of human existence. --Felix Adler https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Felix_Adler