Big times for dwarfs: Social organization, sexual selection, and cooperation in the Cheirogaleidae

Abstract

“One can picture a small-bodied ancestral primate moving actively around amongthe fine branches of trees, foraging on small fruits and on small animal prey, rather likemodern...mouse lemurs.”1(p. 658 –659). This and earlier quotes have shaped thecommon perception of the dwarf lemurs of the family Cheirogaleidae as being “prim-itive primates,”2which inadvertently conveys notions of the archaic, outdated, un-elaborated, simple, invariant, inflexible, and hardwired. In this paper, however, we donot focus on the relative level of complexity of cheirogaleids, but instead emphasizethe pronounced variation in their social behavior, sexually selected strategies, andkin-selected behavior. By investigating potential causes for this variation, we aim tocontribute to further development of general concepts and theories of primate behav-ioral ecology that apply to all primates, large and small.