Intraspecific Variation in Maximum Ingested Food Size and Body Mass in Varecia rubra and Propithecus coquereli
Figure 1
Body mass measurements of male (m) and female (f) Propithecus coquereli (Pc) and Varecia rubra (Vr) over time. Weights taken during periods of lactation or pregnancy were excluded as (for graphical simplicity) were weights taken early in ontogeny. Other gaps exist due to periods when animals were out on loan. Note that all of these weights for both species fall between two and five kilograms (with the exception of Antonia Pc f, who is slightly larger), but the age scales are different (0–15 years for Propithecus with the oldest individual measured at 13.34 years and 0–30 years for Varecia with the oldest individual weighed at 25.8 years). Also, note that although the regression lines are for graphical purposes only (since they compare data sets of different start and end ages with different measurement frequencies, they cannot be compared equally), they indicate that all but two individuals continued to increase in weight throughout the measurement period (as indicated by the positive slope of the least-squares regression line included for each individual), but the Varecia appear to attain more stable “adult” body weight a couple of years earlier than the Propithecus individuals.
