Costs and Potential Benefits of Parental Care in the Nocturnal Fat-Tailed Dwarf Lemur (Cheirogaleus medius)

@article{Fietz2003CostsAP,
  title={Costs and Potential Benefits of Parental Care in the Nocturnal Fat-Tailed Dwarf Lemur (Cheirogaleus medius)},
  author={Joanna Fietz and Kathrin H. Dausmann},
  journal={Folia Primatologica},
  year={2003},
  volume={74},
  pages={246 - 258}
}
Parental care should evolve only if fitness benefits exceed fitness costs. In Cheirogaleus medius, a small nocturnal lemur of western Madagascar, we found the peculiar situation of considerable parental care by both sexes, combined with an extremely high rate of extra-pair young (EPY). In this paper, we try to elucidate the costs and benefits of parental care in C. medius, and we discuss hypotheses as to why males might actively participate in raising young, especially with regard to the high… 
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