The typical daily dose would be enough to kill humans. The golden bamboo lemur is crepuscular i.e. [4], The species is endemic to the rain forests of south–eastern Madagascar at elevations of 600–1,400 m (2,000–4,600 ft). Three sympatric Hapalemur species (H. g. griseus, H. aureus, and H. (Prolemur) simus) in Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar are known to eat bamboo food parts that contain cyanide.How these lemurs avoid cyanide poisoning remains unknown. As of 2010, the classification of bamboo lemurs lists five species and three subspecies. Lengths vary from 26 to 46 cm (10.2 to 18.1 inches), with tails just as long or longer, and they weigh up to 2.5 kg (5.5 pounds.). At certain times of the year, bamboo accounts for 90% of their diet. The golden bamboo lemur is so called because of the golden fur around its face, inner limbs and belly. Hapalemur griseus. Hapalemur griseus The Golden bamboo lemur has evolved with a resistance to the extreme levels of cyanide in the leaves of the young bamboo that it eats. The growing tips of Cephalostachyum ef uiguieri selected by the golden bamboo lemur (Hapalemuraureus) contained 15 mg of cyanide per 100 g fresh weight bamboo while the leaves of C. perrieri selected by the gentle bamboo lemur (H. griseus)and the mature culms of C. cf uiguieri selected by the greater bamboolemur (H. simus) did not contain cyanide. Shoots must first have the fibrous exterior sheaths stripped off and must then be cooked well in boiling water, uncovered to let the bitter cyanide escape. The greater bamboo lemur (Prolemur simus), also known as the broad-nosed bamboo lemur and the broad-nosed gentle lemur, is the largest bamboo lemur, at over five pounds or nearly 2.5 kilograms.It has greyish brown fur and white ear tufts, and has a head-body length of around one and a half feet, or forty to fifty centimeters. Although they can be active any time of the day, they are often active just after dawn. This species has evidently adapted and evolved resistance to the high levels of cyanide within the young bamboo leaves that it eats. International Journal of Primatology 34(3): 486-499. Ironically, the most protein-rich part of bamboo is also the most deadly; giant bamboo shoots contain high amounts of cyanide. Their life expectancy is up to 12 years. The mechanism by which this small primate avoids the acute and chronic symptoms of cyanide poisioning is unknown. Each adult lemur consumes about 500 grams (18 oz) of bamboo per day, which is twelve times higher than the fatal dose of cyanide for other animals of this size. But generally move less than 400 meters (1,300 feet) a day. ... De bamboe of zachte lemuren zijn de lemuren in het geslacht Hapalemur. Lemurs feed on new shoots, leaves and shrubs. The bamboo lemur family feeds most often upon a specific type of bamboo: Giant Bamboo. The golden bamboo lemur is known for feeding primarily on the new shoots of the giant bamboo plant, which contains 12x the lethal dose of cyanide ☠️ per pound (what the golden bamboo lemur eats in a day). (1989). Ecology. Hapale derives from the Greek word απαλός (hapalos), meaning "gentle". Many other animals eat bamboo as a small part of their diet. As with many grasses, bamboo releases cyanide when its cells are damaged, but these animals have the means to detoxify it (we don’t yet know how). Though primarily arboreal, they sometimes come down to the ground. Cyanide is a deadly metabolic toxin that kills by halting cellular respiration. The absence of secondary growth wood causes the stems of monocots, including the palms and large bamboos, to be columnar rather than tapering.