the Katta is the most known one of the Madagascan semi-monkeys. Because of its purring tone-remarks, it is also called sometimes "Katzenmaki" wrongly what can lead easily to mix-ups with the actual Katzenmakis.
Shape The Katta is dark - until perlgrau. it is with approximately 45 cm of length, an approximately 55 cm long tail, somewhat bigger than the Mohrenmaki, adds on top of this.
Face, tail and ears are drawn black-and-white in characteristic manner. The underside is light-gray until white. Kattas carry the crosswise-curled tail highly raised on the ground like a signal-carton.
The face is fox-good, thanks to one long moved out, dark muzzle; the fray-draws lots ears is triangular and has rounded off tops. The Katta doesn't have any sideburns, the head therefore seems slimmer than with many subtypes of the Mohrenmaki.
Habitat The Katta lives in southwest-Madagascar's dry-forest. Usually, one sees it in the trees; more frequently as it however also runs many other semi-monkeys quadruped on the ground. Through the trees, it runs and jumps like the sea-cats with all four. it however also climbs skillfully at vertical trunks upwards.
The Katta can do huge sentences no specialized jumper, like for example the Indris or the Koboldmaki, and jumps 15 m deep without damage down. it always lands, as first most semi-monkeys, with the hind legs.
On the ground, one can also find the Katta upright. With the hands, it holds on to its food, or it drinks by licking off them dipped in hand in water previously.
Food The Katta licks up also dew and rain or meets its liquid-demand from juicy fruits. it is a herbivore and lives mainly from fruits. it eats blooms and leaves and also bark beside it.
Way of life The Katta lives in a big one, several hectares measuring precinct. it lives in groups of 1-2 dozens animals, it more rarely is up to 50 individuals.
The population-density is very high with good food-offer. Over 300 animals were estimated per square-kilometer.
The territories of the groups are delimited with glandular-secretions and urine-brands opposite other groups. Males and females have forearm-glands, that furthermore male glands under the armpit, at the testicle and at the chin. Also the females have secretion-glands at the sex-organs. The forearm-gland of the male is big and dark. it is oblong oval and from a bare skin-stain surrounded. A small thorn is at the inside. The females have an only half so big one, thorn-draws lots glandular-stain.
The secretion-brands of the Katta are big, not only intensively smelling but also on further distance well visible. Particularly the high-ranking animals frequently mark, the females in general however more rarely than the males.
Reputations The Katta serves as a row of different lutes. The animals call themselves mutually, but more rarely than the Mohrenmaki. Those in the choir of given away screams of the males are another means to tell the Artgenossen of other groups to whom a certain precinct belongs.
Social-behavior The borders of the territories are very stable also over years. Neighbor-troops don't meet as adversely as with many other semi-monkeys (Sifakas). Usually, the groups avoid themselves. Sometimes, the troops mix however also without evident aggression. Comings and again, individual males change the groups and move with another troop further. One can find also other Lemuren in Katta-Gesellschaften. So, the Katta with individual Mohrenmakis Mischgruppen forms.
The Katta-Gruppe is composed from several females, males and young. The females have the leading role in the Katta-Gesellschaft - an exception of the primates.
At least the males have a solid ranking among each other. The ranking is primates higher in contrast to the rankings limited however only on certain functions. The ranking at the feed-place is not identical with the sexual ranking of the males. During the combination-time, vehement fights are had under the otherwise very amicable Kattamännchen.
With the short daily hikes to the feed-place, the dominant females go in the middle with the boys; the troop is framed by the males and youthful animals. Kattas usually linger in a part of the big territory some days and then move on only.
After their day-march long less as half a kilometer, the Kattas retreat into a sleep-tree in the evening. they climb highly into the Blätterdach, and one only hears its active Herumbalgen before the Schlafengehen. Do the Kattas rest, frequently on the ground in the shadow of big trees, also at noon. In the morning, one can observe it upright sedentary with a sunbath also like the Indris with extended arms.
There are many playful scrambles between the Kattas. they lick yourself or "comb" the fur mutually for itself.
The gestures are quite manifold: Each other threatens Kattas with open mouth like Galagos and other primates. Also its expression-game is quite diverse and resembles that of most monkeys and also that of the human being. The "defense-grin" takes place with secluded mouth-corners, the teeth remain largely covered.
In order to threaten an Artgenossen, the secretions of the forearm-gland are rubbed demonstratively on the tail. The Katta passes at the glandular-field the tail between arm and bodies, lifts the tail upright over the head and shakes it severely. As urine and excrement, that down-rain from the treetops on the surprised observer highly from above, are put in weapon against enemies, also the human being.
Reproduction The Kattaweibchen of a group become all mating-ready at the same time. they show its combination-willingness through swollen and red-colored shame-lips.
During the combination-time of April until June, the males execute vehement fights. The already existing ranking doesn't have any influence on the combination. Exactly the males been subject to at the feed-place frequently are winners at the combination-fights.
The fights are ritualized to the largest part. The males jump about each other, threaten itself mutually with the diverse expression-game and present the set up tail waving. they can however also thrash away powerfully at the opponent with the extended cuspids.
The females are mated with by one or different males many times in standing. The boys, usually one, more rarely 2 or even 3, was born after 132-136 days. they are full-hairy, have open eyes and already are very independent in contrast to Mohrenmaki and Vari.
Soon, they begin alone herumzuklettern after the birth. The boys become at the beginning of lengthways on the stomach, carried on the back after 14 days. The mother suckles the young approximately one half year although it begins to pick up solid food already after one month.
Beside the mother, also all other troop-members take care of the offspring. Especially different, usually childless females, so-called "aunts", look after the children. This behavior promotes the general cohesion of the group, the individual animals are less isolated as with other types. If the mother dies, so the children can be reared ("adopt") also by other troop-members. Kattas arose with 11/2 years, the males come to the mating however only with more than 2 years.
In captivity, Kattas were held already 20 years.
Endangering Although the continuance-density is big here and there, the animals are threatened through habitat-destruction and Bejagung.
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