Recommended Readings & Videos

• Lemurs
• Madagascar
• Lorises, Galagos & Other Prosimians
• Recommended Scientific Readings

Updated April 18, 1998

Lemurs

Books

For the Interested Naturalist: (see also recommended scientific readings)

• Lemurs of Madagascar and the Comorans F. McIntyre, World Biodiversity Database, Springer-Verlag, New York ($71.95). This is a CD-ROM (Windows and Mac versions). It is not clear whether it is available yet.
• Lemurs of Madagascar by Russell Mittermeier, Ian Tattersall, William Konstant, David Meyers and Roderic Mast. 1994 (Conservation International). This is an excellent, field-guide sized book to lemurs, their identification, natural history, and conservation status. Very detailed information which is very current.
• Lemurs of Madagascar and the Comoros : the IUCN red data bookby Catherine Harcourt ($38)
• Lemurs of Madagascar: An Action Plan for their Conservation, 1993-1999by Russell Mittermeier, W.G. Kinzeqy and R.B. Mast. 1992. IUCN/SSC Primate Specialist Group, Gland, Switzerland.
• Lemurs of the lost world : exploring the forests and Crocodile Caves of Madagascar, by Jane Wilson, (published in U.K. by Impact/Harrap, available in U.S. from P.O. Box 287, Great Falls VA 22066 (for $11?)
• The Lemur's Legacy, the evolution of power, sex, and love, Robert Jay Russell, 1993 (Tarcher/Putnam Books). This very ambitious book is strongest when it describes the social behavior of the oft-neglected mouse lemurs, and most speculative when it extrapolates those findings to humans.
• The Encyclopedia of Mammals, edited by David Macdonald 1984 (Facts on File Press). The chapter on lemurs by Alison Richard and J.I. Pollock are quite good.

Books for the General Reader:

• Primates - Lemurs, Monkeys, and You by Ian Tattersall. This little book contains a remarkable amount of scientific information about the evolution and diversity of primates in a readable format. It also contains great photographs of many of the different species. (Millbrook Press, 1995).
• Gerald Durrell, The Aye-aye and I, 1992 (Arcade Publishing). This wonderful British humorist/zookeeper/scientist and warm-hearted observer of humanity is at the top of his form in this delightful account of his recent expedition to Madagascar. Great descriptions of gentle lemurs and aye-ayes. Now available in paperback.
• Gerald Durrell, Ark on the Move, 1983 (Coward-McCann, Inc., New York). A lovely little book about Madagascar & Mauritius.
• Douglas Adams, Last Chance to See, 1994? The author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy travels to far-off spots to see animals that are in grave danger of extinction. Very interesting stuff about aye-ayes.
• Jane Wilson, Lemurs of the lost world: exploring the forests and Crocodile Caves of Madagascar.

College Textbooks with good information about prosimians:

• The Evolution of Primate Behavior by Alison Jolly, 2d ed. (1985) MacMillan
• Primates in Nature by Alison F. Richard (1985) W.H. Freeman. This is an integrated overview of primate behavioral ecology, including biogeography, feeding habits, social ecology. Exceptionally well written and illustrated.
• Primate Societies ed. by Smuts, Cheney, Seyfarth, Wrangham and Struhsaker (Univ. of Chicago Press, 1987)

Children's Books & Magazine Articles:

• Zoe Wilmot and David Anstey, Hook A Book Lemur. This book is written for 2-3 year olds, I guess, and is printed on that thick, cardboard-like paper, so even though it's 3/4 inches thick it only has about 6 pages. The cover features a ring tailed lemur. His tail forms a hook that juts out from the top of the book. (Hence the term "Hook-a-book," and hence the cardboard paper.) At the bottom, his hands join together forming a handle, a handle that's just the right size for a tiny hand to hold on to the book.
• Ranger Rick (November 1992). The entire magazine issue is devoted to Madagascar. Worth the trip to the library to find.

Magazine Articles:

(arranged chronologically)

• Eep! It's an Aye-Aye by David Haring in Wildlife Conservation (March/April 1996 issue). Excellent article, check it out!
• Lost Lemurs of the Crocodile Caves by Elwyn Simons, scientific director of DUPC, in The Sciences (pages 6-8 in November/December 1993). An article recent excavations of fossil and subfossil lemurs in Madagascar.
• "Portfolio" BBC Wildlife (August 1993). This is for you British lemur fans out there. There's a beautiful photo spread taken by David Haring, the colony manager of DUPC. Highly recommended
• Madagascar's Lemurs, by Ian Tattersall in Scientific American 268(1):110-117 (January 1993).
• Seeing Is Believing another article by David Haring in ZooLife (Fall 1992). An excellent article focusing on DUPC's Ivoloina project in Madagascar.
• The Delicate Leaf-eaters of Duke by David Haring in Wildlife Conservation (May/June 1992 issue). Excellent article about the Center.
• Lemurs in the Midst by Richard Bangs in Wildlife Conservation (May/June 1992 issue). A look at some conservation problems in Madagascar.
• ZooView (Winter 1992) Entire issue is devoted to Madagascar wildlife. Articles by David Anderson on the Madagascar Fauna Group, and by Jennie McNary and Fran Woods about zoo care for lemurs in the US and in Madagascar.
• A Murder in Madagascar by David Quammen in Audubon (January 1991, pp.48-58. An account of the murder of Bedo, a nature guide at Perinet in 1990, which talks about the challenges of ecotourism in a country as poor as Madagascar.
• A Necklace of Pearls: Saving Madagascar by Alison Jolly, photographs by Frans Lanting in Orion Nature Quarterly (Fall 1990).
• Madagascar's Lemurs: On the Edge of Survival by Alison Jolly in National Geographic (August 1988, pages 132-161). Dr. Jolly was one of the first researchers to study lemur behavior in the wild. Excellent photos and article.
• Lemurs Lost and Found by Patricia Wright in Natural History (July 1988, pages 56-60). A description of the rediscovery of the golden bamboo lemur Hapalemur aureus.
• Madagascar: A World Apart by Allison Jolly and Frans Lanting in National Geographic (February 1987).
• Island of the Lemur, by former DUPC director Michael Stuart in Animal Kingdom (Feb/March 1985).
• Defenders of Wildlife April 1975. An extraordinary all-color issue devoted entirely to Madagascar. A real treasure.

Videos/TV Shows

• The Wilds of Madagascar. National Geographic Society, 17th and M Streets, Washington, D.C. 1988. 60 minutes.
• Spirits of the Forest shown on PBS' NATURE program in the U.S. Produced by the BBC (60 minutes, 1987). This is a general view overview of nature in Madagascar. Many species of lemurs are shown, but most of the focus is on ringtail lemurs and sifakas.
• Madagascar: Island of Ghosts shown on PBS' NATURE Produced by Survival Anglia (60 minutes. 1991). This film appropriately has a heavy emphasis on conservation problems and efforts. Uses Malagasy music by Rossy as background. Terrific footage of the fossa, giant jumping rat, Madagascar harrier hawk, chameleons, plowshare tortoise, and insects. Good footage of the Ankarana massif. Lemurs featured: Sanford's lemurs, crowned lemurs, indris, Verreaux's and Coquerel sifakas, Golden-crowned sifaka. Intelligent discussion of local human needs and Malagasy culture. Includes brief footage of a Famadihana.
• Dance of the Sifaka shown on "Wild World" on PBS on 10/15/96 (Partridge Films, Ltd. 1996). 30 minutes. This film follows a single family of Verreaux's sifakas at Berenty Preserve in southern Madagascar. Beautiful close-up photography of these animals and the focus on one family shows many behaviors in context.

Madagascar

Natural History and Culture: Books

• Madagascar, A Natural History, by Ken Preston-Mafham, 1991 (Facts on File Press). This is a superb book, combining the best single overview of Madagascar's natural history with stunning photos by the author. This has very good treatment of the plants, invertebrates, and birds of Madagascar as well as lemurs and other mammals. This book should be easy to find.
• Madagascar, a World Out of Time, by Frans Lanting. 1990 (Aperture) This is a classic coffee-table book with striking and stylized photos by this well-known wildlife photographer. Includes essays by Alison Jolly and John Mack.
• A World Like Our Own, Man and Nature in Madagascar, by Alison Jolly, 1980 (Yale University Press). One of the first, and best, general books about Madagascar and conservation issues.
• Madagascar, Island of the Ancestors, by John Mack, 1986, British Museum of Natural History. A very interesting paperback about Malagasy culture. May be available only from the British Museum.
• Madagascar, (ed.) by Hilary Bradt, 1988, Aston Publications. A lovely little picture book published in England. Good luck trying to find it!
• Muddling Through in Madagascar, by Hilary Bradt. 1985. Amazing account of Ms. Bradt's first trip to Madagascar when she walked virtually across the country with her young daughter. A classic travel book, but hard to find, particularly in the U.S.

Natural History and Culture: Magazines

(arranged chronologically)

• The Lizard Wizard by Hannah Holmes in Wildlife Conservation pp. 22-29. (April 1997) An article about Christopher Raxworthy and his study of reptiles and amphibians in Madagascar.
• Madagascar's Buried Treasure by Scott Sampson, David W. Krause, and Catherine A. Forster in Natural History pp. 24-27 (March 1997). Story of very recent discoveries of dinosaur bones and very early bird fossils in Madagascar.
• Madagascar, Wildlife Smuggler's Haven by Kendra Toby (photos by DUPC's Connie Bransilver) in Canadian Wildlife pp. 22-25 (Nov/Dec 1996).
• Otherworldly Madagascar by Peter Tyson in Atlantic Monthly (January 1996)
• Night of the Screaming Lizard by Peter Tyson in Earthwatch (May/June 1994, pp. 25-31). An account of an Earthwatch study of reptiles in the Lokobe Reserve near Nosy Be with a nice discussion of integrated conservation and development.
• The Island as Planet by Tom Huth, photographs by Knut Bry in Conde Nast Traveler (August 1991)
• Alive and Well in Tsimanampetsotsa by W. Chris Wozencraft in Natural History (December 1990) pp. 28-30. The discovery of a new species of mongoose in 1989, the Grandidier's mongoose (Galidictus grandidieri) in southwestern Madagascar.
• Mysterious Island: What Killed Madagascar's Large Native Animals? by David A. Burney, and Ross D.E. MacPhee in Natural History (July 1988), pp. 46-55.

Field Guides:

• Lemurs of Madagascar (see listing above) This is much better than the generalized treatment of lemurs in some of the East African mammal field guides.
• Madagascar Wildlife--A Visitor's Guide, by Hilary Bradt, Nick Garbutt, and Derek Schuurman. 1996. (Bradt Publications [UK], Globe-Pequot Press [USA $19.95] A profusely illustrated guide to the wildlife and the best places to see it in Madagascar. 200 color photos with excellent coverage of not only lemurs, but also the reptiles and insects. Small enough to take with you on your trip.
• Birds of Madagascar, by Olivier Langrand, 1990 (Yale Univ. Press). Since 70 percent of Madagascar's birds are endemic, this is your only choice for a bird guide. It is an excellent book, but unfortunately rather large to carry with you ($60).
• A Fieldguide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of Madagascar, 2nd Ed. (1994) by Frank Glaw and Miguel Vences. It is available in the USA from Serpent's Tale (telephone (612) 470-5008) for about $65. It has an amazing amount of information including not only photos and distribution maps for the amphibians and reptiles but also discussions and b/w photos of invertebrates, material on lemurs, bats, fishes, etc.

Travel Guides:

• Guide to Madagascar (5th ed). by Hilary Bradt, 1997, (Bradt Publications UK, or Globe-Pequot Press in the USA) An excellent and detailed guide that includes good discussions of the natural history and culture of the island.
• Lonely Planet Guide to Madagascar and the Comoros, 2d edition (1994).

Lorises, Pottos, Galagos (Buhsbabies) and Tarsiers

• "Calls of the Wild" by Simon K. Bearder in Natural History 104(8):48-57 (August 1995). (spectacular pictures of galagos)
• "Lorises, bushbabies, and tarsiers: diverse societies in solitary forages" by Simon K . Bearder, pp. 11-24 in Primate Societies ed. by Smuts et al. Univ. of Chicago Press, 1987.
• Gremlins of the Night (video) produced by _______ (199_). 60 minutes. Excellent video with a brief overview of lorises and a focus on newly discovered species of galagos.
• The Encyclopedia of Mammals, edited by David Macdonald 1984 (Facts on File Press). The chapters on lorises, galagos and pottos by Pierre Charles-Dominique is quite good.
• See Alterman et al. in scientific reading.

Recommended Scientific Reading

Books:

• Goodman, S.M and B.D. Patterson (eds.) 1997. Natural Change and Human Impact in Madagascar. Academic Press. 92 b&w illus, 434 pp. ($75 cloth, $35 paper)
• Bransfield, J. and H. J. Beentje. 1996. Palms of Madagascar For the first time ever all the known palms of Madagascar are described in English. 175 species are treated - including 70 species previously unknown to science and described for the first time. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, U.K.
• Alterman, L., G.A. Dyle, and M. Kay Izard. 1995. Creatures of the Dark, the Nocturnal Prosimians. This is a collection of 36 papers arising out of a conference held at Duke University in June 1993. (Plenum Press, New York). 571pp.
• Harcourt, C. and J. Thornback. 1994?Lemurs of Madagascar and the Comoros. : The IUCN Red Data Book, compiled by C. Harcourt, IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, U.K.
• Kappeler, P. M. and J. Ganzhorn, (eds.). 1993. Lemur Social Systems and Their Ecological Basis. Plenum Press, New York
• Porton, I. E. (ed). 1993. Prosimian Taxon Advisory Group Regional Collection Plan for Lemurs. AAZPA.
• Mittermeier, R.A., W.R. Konstant, M.E. Nicoll and O. Langrand. 1992. Lemurs of Madagascar: An Action Plan for their Conservation. 1993-1999. IUCN/SSC Primate Specialist Group, Gland, Switzerland.
• Tattersall, Ian. 1982. Primates of Madagascar. (Columbia Univ. Press).
• Charles-Dominique, P, et al. 1980. Nocturnal Malagasy primates, ecology, physiology, and behavior. Academic Press. (A collection of 10 studies of nocturnal lemurs.)
• Martin, R.D., Doyle, G.A., and Walker, A.C. (eds). 1976 Prosimian Behaviour (Gerald Duckworth & Co Ltd. , UK). A collection of about 60 scientific studies of lemurs and other prosimians.

Articles:

• Lowry, P. P., II, G. E. Schatz and P. B. Phillipson (in press). The classification of natural and anthropogenic vegetation in Madagascar In: B. D. Patterson and S. M. Goodman (eds.), Natural and human-induced change in Madagascar. Smithsonian Institute Press). (entire article on-line with pictures!).
• Wright, P.C. 1995. Demography and life history of free-ranging Propithecus diadema edwardsi in Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar. International Journal of Primatology 16(5):835-854.
• Tattersall, Ian. 1993. Madagascar's Lemurs. Scientific American 268(1):110-117.
• MacPhee, R.D.E. 1986. Environment, extinction, and Holocene vertebrate localities in southern Madagascar. in National Geographic Research Vol. 2, No. 4, pages 441-455 (Autumn).

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