One of Madagascar’s most impressive yet critically endangered primates, known both for its large size among bamboo lemurs and for its unusual specialization on a food source that most animals avoid—giant bamboo. Once widespread across the island, this lemur is now restricted to only a handful of forest fragments in eastern Madagascar, making it a living relic of a time when Madagascar’s rainforests were much larger and richer.

Its coat is thick and woolly, colored a mix of gray, olive, and reddish-brown, with a paler underside. The most distinctive feature is its powerful jaws and teeth, adapted to cutting through tough bamboo stalks. Its large, forward-facing eyes give it the same wide-eyed alertness seen in other lemurs, but its robust build and strong limbs set it apart from its smaller cousins.

The greater bamboo lemur’s diet is what makes it truly extraordinary. While most animals avoid bamboo because of its high cyanide content, this lemur feeds on it almost exclusively. It consumes the shoots, leaves, and stems of giant bamboo (Cathariostachys madagascariensis), eating amounts that would be lethal to most mammals. Researchers believe that it has unique physiological adaptations that allow it to detoxify cyanide, though the exact mechanism remains a mystery. This extreme dietary specialization, however, makes the species very vulnerable—since its survival depends on the presence of bamboo forests.

Socially, greater bamboo lemurs live in groups of 7–30 individuals, often larger than those of other bamboo lemurs. Unlike many lemurs where females dominate, this species shows more egalitarian relationships, with both sexes sharing leadership roles within the group. They are cathemeral, meaning they can be active during both day and night, and they communicate with a variety of vocalizations, including barks and grunts that help keep the group coordinated in dense rainforest.

Distribution

Country

Population est.

Status

Year

Comments

Madagascar

>1,500

Official estimate

CR

2018