Most people probably think of ring-tailed species when they hear “lemur.”
Lemurs are primates native to the island of Madagascar, off the coast of Africa. As well as being found in Madagascar, lemurs also roam the neighboring Comoros Islands. These unique animals have survived on the island of Madagascar because they are isolated from the African mainland where other primates have come to dominate, and as a result, lemurs are extremely vulnerable to human encroachment and habitat destruction because they have historically led sheltered lives.
Lemurs probably arrived in Madagascar after the island broke away from Africa.
At first glance, a lemur looks like a squirrel, raccoon, or cat, but these animals are actually primates, which means they are closely related to humans. Lemurs are classified as prosimians, differentiating them from anthropoid primates, a group to which humans and apes belong. Prosimians evolved before their anthropoid cousins and have several primate-associated traits, but they are very different.
Lemurs are presumed to have arrived in Madagascar after the island split from Africa, judging by fossil evidence, and later differentiated into around 50 species, many of which are considered endangered today. These animals are mostly arboreal, preferring the safety of trees to the ground, and are mostly nocturnal, which can make their study difficult. The name “lemur” comes from the Latin lemures, which means “ghosts” in Latin, in reference to the nocturnal habits of these creatures.
A typical lemur has a long, tapered snout, a long tail, and flexible legs. The animals are skilled climbers, but also very flexible and acrobatic. They live in large social groups that are often female-dominated, in an interesting reversal of the norm seen in most other primate groups, and they communicate with a variety of calls and scent markings.
The ring-tailed lemur, with its huge eyes and distinctly ringed tail, is probably one of the most famous lemur species, and is the animal that comes to mind when people think of lemurs. However, these primates come in a variety of sizes and colors, including tan, reddish, brown, gray, and black, and can range from very small to very large. However, many biologists are concerned about the diversity of lemur species, as many are endangered and threatened, and attempts are being made to establish breeding colonies of captive lemurs for possible release back into the wild if native populations decline beyond natural expectations. Recovery.