Mouse Lemurs

Recently joined the Mouse Lemur Genome Analysis Consortium and look forward to getting acquainted with this cute primate.

With a length of less than 30 cm, tail included, these nocturnal lemurs are the smallest primates. They show several unique characteristics, including very short generation times and very strong sperm competition. This makes them well suited to test fundamental questions about selection and meiotic drive. A fun fact is that they are able to hibernate both daily and seasonally by reducing hart beat, metabolism and disabling homeothermy. How much they hibernate varies across species and populations, and the ones that hibernate more also tend to live longer. Imagine snoozing the dull parts of life and then save that lifetime for later.