Hair Phenotype Diversity Across Indriidae Lemurs

The study examined hair color and density variation across the Indriidae family of lemurs, focusing on the genera Avahi, Indri, and Propithecus. It found that darker hair was typical in wetter regions, while within Propithecus, dark black hair was common in colder forest regions. Additionally, pelage redness increased in populations with enhanced color vision, and follicle density on the crown and limbs increased in dry and open environments. The findings suggested that different selective pressures influenced primate hair evolution, providing empirical evidence of Bogert’s rule in mammals and supporting early hypotheses on hominin hair evolution.