The use of mixed-species exhibits is booming in Europe due to welfare implications related to social enrichment. Like most primates, lemurs are social and have complex relationships with conspecific and with other species who share their habitat. Thus, to harbour several species of lemurs in one single enclosure, which count with all the factors to meet their needs, might improve the welfare of the individuals in captivity by raising activity levels and social complexity. 

Nowadays, due to fragmentation, the populations of lemur species are decreasing and their interactions in wild might not be as usual, as it used to be. In this study, I observed the social behaviour of 6 species of lemurs in captivity. These species have different distributions in Madagascar: The ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta) population distributes by the south-west coast of Madagascar. The northern population of red-fronted brown lemur (Eulemur rufifrons) might interact with the remaining population of mongoose lemur (Eulemur mongoz) in the North-west coast of the country. In the East part of Madagascar, following the line of undisturbed forest we can find distributed the red-bellied lemur (Eulemur rubriventer) which might interact with the very fragmented population of black-and-white ruffed lemur (Varecia variegata). The population of red ruffed lemur (Varecia rubra), harboured in the Masoala peninsula in the Northeast of the Island, might interact with some northern population of black-and-white ruffed lemur. The black lemur’s (Eulemur macaco) distribution in the northwest is limited by the Mahavavy River in the north and the Andranomalaza River in the south. (See distribution maps bellow) 

1) Sympatric species are more likely to share the exhibit space and show more tolerance towards each other.

2) Bigger body-size species will show dominance over the smaller species.

3) More numerous groups will be dominant over less numerous groups. 

The aim of my study is to assess the relation between 6 different species of lemurs (Family Lemuridae) kept in two mixed-species exhibits,the space sharing and the welfare implication of this type of enclosures.