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Behavioral Disparities Between Two Troops Of Lemur Catta That Occupy Different Habitats, Laura Saucier

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The present study was conducted during the early wet season at Berenty Private Reserve. It investigates behavioral disparities between two troops of Lemur catta that occupy different habitats—gallery forest and scrub. Methods included density and phenology analysis to evaluate relative food availability in each territory. Behavioral observations were collected across eleven full-day troop follows. Results show extensive, statistically significant differences between behavior in the gallery and the scrub, many of which can be explained by relative food abundance within a troop’s home range. Some trends included greater intra-troop discord and fewer inter-troop conflicts in the scrub. In addition, the troops …