Sensory integration during foraging: the importance of fruit hardness, colour, and odour to brown lemurs

Animal reliance on fruit signals, such as hardness, colour, and odour, during foraging is poorly understood. Here, we present data on fruit foraging behaviour and efficiency (rate of fruit ingestion) of three groups of wild, frugivorous brown lemurs (Eulemur fulvus, N = 29 individuals) in Ankarafantsika National Park, Madagascar. We quantify fruit hardness using a modified force gauge, fruit colour using spectroscopy, and fruit odour using …