Observations of daytime activity in the nocturnal northern giant mouse lemur (Mirza zaza)

What is it about?

This anecdote reports observations of daytime activity in the northern giant mouse lemur (Mirza zaza), a species that has always been regarded as strictly nocturnal. These observations provide evidence to suggest that M. zaza may undertake activity that is essential for their survival within both the light and dark periods of a day-cycle, and our findings suggest that the activity cycle of this species may be highly flexible._x000D_ _x000D_ The findings described in this anecdote have important implications to understand the evolution of activity patterns in M. zaza and other lemurs, and suggest that M. zaza may have the ability to be active during daylight, despite its nocturnal lineage. Further, these findings warrant future, long term studies to establish the activity cycles of M. zaza, and to investigate whether M. zaza may in fact be cathemeral, and if so, what type of cathemerality it can exhibit and why.

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