biology

James' sportive lemur

James' sportive lemur is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand James' sportive lemur rather than just read about it. In short: James' sportive lemur (Lepilemur jamesi), or the Manombo sportive lemur, is a sportive lemur endemic to Madagascar. Like all members of its genus, it is nocturnal and largely folivorous.

Key takeaways

James' sportive lemur belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect James' sportive lemur to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of James' sportive lemur from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

James' sportive lemur (Lepilemur jamesi), or the Manombo sportive lemur, is a sportive lemur endemic to Madagascar. Like all members of its genus, it is nocturnal and largely folivorous. It is threatened by habitat loss and unsustainable hunting.

Taxonomy and phylogenetics James' sportive lemur was described in 2006 based on genetic samples and morphometrics collected in 2000 as Lepilemur jamesi. The name was presumed to be incorrectly formed and was corrected in 2009 to Lepilemur jamesorum. However, this change was deemed to be an unjustified emendation. The specific epithet jamesi honors Larry, Jeanette and Barry James for their support of Malagasy graduate students. Genetic analyses show that James' sportive lemur is a sister species to the Betsileo sportive lemur.

Description James' sportive lemur possesses short, smooth fur, which is generally brown on the back and lighter grayish brown on the belly and underside of the extremities. The tail is brown closer to the body, and fades into black towards the tip. The face has whitish-gray markings across the jaw and throat from the chin to the ears, and the top of the head is brown with a black midline that continues down almost the entire length of the body. The ears are gray on the back with black borders, usually with a small cream-colored path directly below on the sides of the face. James' sportive lemur is medium-sized for its genus. It has a head-body length of 26 cm (10 in) and a tail length of 30 cm (12 in), making its total length 56 cm. It weighs approximately 780 g (28 oz).

Distribution and habitat James' sportive lemur is found in southeastern Madagascar, where it is known from the Manombo Special Reserve and the Manombo Classified Forest. The exact boundaries of its range are unknown, but the Manampatrana River and the Mananara River have been suggested as potential northern and southern limits. Within its range, James' sportive lemur inhabits one of the last remaining, low-altitude coastal rainforests in the southeast. The estimated population density of James' sportive lemur in the Manombo Special Reserve and the Manombo Classified Forest are 45 individuals/km2 and 23 individuals/km2, respectively. The total population is approximately 1,386 individuals, as of 2010.

Threats and conservation James' sportive lemur is in decline due to habitat loss from shifting agriculture and unsustainable levels of hunting. This decline, in addition to its extremely small distribution, led to its listing as Critically Endangered (CR) on the IUCN Red List in 2020. James' sportive lemur has appeared twice on the World's 25 Most Endangered Primates list, once in 2017, and again in 2021. As of 2022, it was not being held in captivity.

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with James' sportive lemur

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what James' sportive lemur claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to James' sportive lemur before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about James' sportive lemur ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of James' sportive lemur

In research: James' sportive lemur appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses James' sportive lemur in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: James' sportive lemur is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Arboreal mammals, Critically endangered fauna of Africa, Endemic fauna of Madagascar, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for James' sportive lemur outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study James' sportive lemur in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what James' sportive lemur means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain James' sportive lemur out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is James' sportive lemur in simple terms?

James' sportive lemur (Lepilemur jamesi), or the Manombo sportive lemur, is a sportive lemur endemic to Madagascar. Like all members of its genus, it is nocturnal and largely folivorous.

Why does James' sportive lemur matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study James' sportive lemur?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on James' sportive lemur.