weight” in the form of fat. This fat is stored in the lemur's hind legs and tail and is used for energy when food sources are scarce. Anatomy and physiology The golden-brown mouse lemur has been categorized as a separate species based on morphology and genetics. Its dorsal side is golden-brown, and yellowish-white ventrally. It has a white stripe running from the lower forehead to the muzzle. It weighs 40-70g depending on the season, and is similar in appearance to the gray mouse lemur, though it has a longer, thinner tail. It is unable to store fat in its tail like other mouse lemurs. It travels through the forest by leaping, unlike the gray mouse lemur. It is a nocturnal species, and builds its nests in dense patches of vines or dead leaves. Sexual reproduction According to Matthew Esser, “Sexual maturity is reached after one year of age.” The brown mouse lemur also has an established mating ritual. A male will use “soft squeak calls and tail-lashing” to signal the female. The female shows that she is willing to mate by “ano-genital rubbing and mouth wiping." When the mating has ended, the female will making a threatening sound. Some of the males who are more dominant will have multiple mates. ”Brown mouse lemurs mate between September and October.” The offspring are usually born between November and December. There are usually one to three young for each litter; females are capable of having one to two litters each year. In the winter months following their birth, the males of the species leave the areas where they were born. Social distribution There is a great variation in social patterns among nocturnal lemurs; the golden-brown mouse lemur is exceptional with its mixed-sex sleeping groups. M. ravelobensis has a well dispersed, inter-sexual sleeping pattern that promotes promiscuity was first categorized in 2004 by researchers Weidt, et al. The golden-brown mouse lemur sleeps predominantly in tree branches or makes nests. Because of this exposed environment male/female sleeping groups exist to aid in both thermoregulation of nests and decrease the chances of predation. This observation has also been noted by Radespiel et al. (2003). Within the sleeping groups, there are several nest locations that individuals will switch between, but the members within the community never change. This social spatial distribution leads to overlapping territories that develop a multi-family community within a given range. Within this given