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Lemurs are small
primates, known
as prosimians.
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Lemur
Classification:
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Mammalia
Order:
Primates
Suborder:
Strepsirrhine
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Other Names:
Spirits of the
Night
Classification
Status: Many
lemur species are
threatened with
extinction due to
habitat loss and
hunting.
Lemur
in Foreign
Languages
Arabic:
Limuur
Armenian:
Lemur
Catalan:
Lemur
Mandarin:
Húhóu
Dutch:
Lemur
Esperanto:
Lemuro
Finnish:
Makimainen
Puoliapina
French:
Lemur
German:
Lemur /
Lemure
Hungarian:
Maki / Makimajom
Icelandic:
Lemur
Italian:
Lemure
Japanese:
Kitsunezar
Korean:
Yeou-weonsungi
Lithuanian:
Lemuras
Navajo:
magi bitsee'
noodo'zigii
Norwegian:
Lemur
Polish:
Lemur
Portuguese:
Lemure
Romanian:
Lemur
Russian:
Llemur
Roman:
Lemur
Spanish:
Lemur
Swedish:
Lemur
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Species: It
is believed that
at one point in
time there were
more than 100 species
of lemurs, it is
estimated that there
are approximately
88 species of lemur
still alive today.
The lemurs are divided
into 5 families.
Lemur
Families
Lemuridae
- True Lemurs
They have
a characterestic
long bush
tail,well-developed
sense of
smell and
often scent
mark their
territories.
Megaladapidae
- Sportive
Lemurs
Species
that is
nocturnal
leaf eating
lemurs.
Indriidae
- Woolly
Lemurs
Larger species
of lemurs
with spring
like legs
that allow
them to
jump up
to 30 feet.
Daubentoniidae
- Aye-Aye
Species
that is
solitary
and nocturnal
with long
nimble fingers
for grabbing
grubs.
Cheirogaleidae—Mouse
and Dwarf
Lemurs
Species
that is
solitary
and smallest
of the lemur
species.
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Size: Lemurs
range in size depending
on the species.
The smallest lemur
is the pygmy mouse
lemur with weighs
approximately 1
ounce. The largest
lemur is the indri
which weigh around
20 lbs and can measure
up to 4 feet tall.
Habitat:
Lemurs are found
only on the island
of Madagascar and
on the neighboring
Comoros islands.
Lemurs are found
in a variety of
habitats lush rainforests
to deserts.
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Senses: Lemurs
have a keen sense of smell
and they also have good
vision, even at night.
Behavior: Lemurs
species are both nocturnal
and diurnal. Most lemur
species are arboreal.
Diet: Lemurs eat
insects, fruits, leaves,
and other edible plant
materials.
Description: Lemurs
are characterized by a
small body, a long nose,
and large reflective eyes.
Lemurs have opposable
thumbs and big toes, that
are used for grasping
when climbing.
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Communication: Lemurs
communicate vocally,
they also as well
as through scent markings.
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Did
You Know?
The
word lemur
comes from
the word
lemures
meaning
"ghosts
of the spirits".
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Social Structure:
Some lemur species are
social, while others are
solitary. The social lemur
groups are dominated by
a female.
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