Lemur Activity and Light Exposure

Light is the primary synchronizer of all biological rhythms, yet little is known about the role of the 24‐hour luminous environment on nonhuman primate circadian patterns, making it difficult to understand the photic niche of the ancestral primate. This article presents the first data on proximate light–dark exposure and activity–rest patterns in free‐ranging nonhuman primates. Four individuals each of five species of lemurs at the Duke Lemur Center were fitted with a Daysimeter‐D pendant that contained light and accelerometer sensors.