ABSTRACT
The lemurs, lorises, and galagos comprise a unique group of primates, termed strepsirrhines, that share some features w i t h the earliest primates and diverge i n interesting ways from the adaptations of monkeys and apes. Al though their regulation of reproduction and energy balance has been portrayed as less flexible and efficient than that of haplorhine pri mates, recent studies have demonstrated the adaptive nature of their reproductive ecology. This chapter w i l l review strepsirrhine life history and reproduction and discuss the explanations that have been offered to explain their divergence from haplorhine primates. The limitations posed by ecological and social constraints w i l l be reviewed along w i t h regulatory factors. Strepsirrhine reproductive strategies w i l l be compared, and the origins of haplorhine reproductive strategies w i l l be discussed.
