Researchers from Duke University conducted a study wherein they found mouse lemurs have distinct personalities. While some are shy and timid, others are bold and aggressive.
Jennifer Verdolin of the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center, in Durham, NC conducted a study with her colleagues wherein she found that mouse lemurs have distinct personalities. While some are be shy and timid, others are bold and aggressive.
The study was conducted on fourteen gray mouse lemurs living at the Duke Lemur Center. All these mouse lemurs underwent a personality test wherein their reactions to familiar and unfamiliar objects were filmed. These objects included a tissue box, an egg carton, an orange ball and a stuffed toy frog that were all placed one at a time into the animals' enclosures. Verdolin then measured how long these lemurs took to wake up and investigate the newly placed objects. She then categorized them into groups based on this measurement. The ones that were quick to investigate the objects were categorized as "bold" while the ones that took more time to finally investigate the objects were categorized as "shy."
During the study, Verdolin also monitored how agitated these lemurs got when their caretakers handled them during the regular cleanings and weigh-ins. She noted that the lemurs belonging to the "shy" group put up a bigger fuss while being handled by human caretakers than the lemurs belonging to the "bold" group.
This led her to conclude that mouse lemurs have distinct personalities and these personal traits were evident across various situations. In the past, other scientists have also uncovered evidence which suggested the same but the traits were more predominant in lemurs living in the wild.
Verdolin hopes that her study on captive mouse lemurs will help researchers determine which individuals are best candidates for breeding programs or for reintroduction back into the wild. In the future, she plans to determine the extent to which lemur personalities are influenced by the presence of other individuals.
