The Ring-tailed lemur
Another group of animals with unmistakably monkey-like characteristics are called the prosimians or 'pre-monkeys'. Typical of them is the Ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta) of Madagascar. These animals spend a lot of time on the ground in troops. Scent plays a very important part in their lives. Their nose is nowhere near as well developed as that of a Tree Shrew, but it is still very fox-like in proportion and it too has a moist muzzle with bare skin around the nostrils. These animals also possess three kinds of scent glands. One pair on the inside of the wrist which opens through spurs; another high up on the chest, close to the armpits and a third around the genitals. With these, the males and to a lesser extent the females produce signals. Such signals are often left on particular plants. Typically a lemur will come upon a sapling, smell it carefully, checking whether it has been visited before, then put its hands on the ground, hoist its rear as high as it can and rub its genitals several times on the bark. Often, within a minute or so, another individual will come and repeat the performance. Males also grasp a sapling with both hands swing their shoulders so that they twist from side to side. Their wrist spurs rub against the bark, making deep scratches that are impregnated with their musk.
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