Hanging On
The rainforests and deciduous scrub that make up a lemur’s natural habitat are under siege from deforestation brought about by the logging industry and oil exploration. Their survival may be as temporary as this lemur’s clutch on a strangler fig branch.
Dazzled
The Red-Fronted Brown Lemur has an almost penetrative gaze.
Variety Galore
Due to Madagascar's highly seasonal climate, lemur evolution has produced a level of species diversity rivaling that of any other primate group. Until shortly after humans arrived on the island around 2,000 years ago, there were lemurs as large as a male gorilla. Today, there are nearly 100 species of lemurs, and most of those species have been discovered or promoted to full species status since the 1990s; however, lemur taxonomic classification is controversial and depends on which species concept is used.
History of Study
Lemur research during the 18th and 19th centuries focused on taxonomy and specimen collection. Although field observations trickled in from early explorers, modern studies of lemur ecology and behavior did not begin in earnest until the 1950s and 1960s. Initially hindered by political instability and turmoil on Madagascar during the mid-1970s, field studies resumed in the 1980s and have greatly increased the understanding of these primates.
Personalities Galore
Lemurs in larger social groups perform better on social cognition tests, according to a 2013 study, which found that group size predicts their scores more than brain size. Other research has shown distinct personalities in mouse lemurs, which vary from shy to bold to "mean as sin."
First Descriptions
Carl Linnaeus, the founder of modern binomial nomenclature, gave lemurs their name as early as 1758, when he used it in the 10th edition of Systema Naturae.
Meet all Lemurs
Lemurs are a class of strepsirrhine primates endemic to the island of Madagascar. The word lemur derives from the word lemures (ghosts or spirits) from Roman mythology and was first used to describe a slender loris due to its nocturnal habits and slow pace, but was later applied to the primates on Madagascar.
Sniffing Through
To communicate with smell, which is useful at night, lemurs will scent mark with urine as well as scent glands located on the wrists, inside elbow, genital regions, or the neck. The scrotal skin of most male lemurs has scent glands.
Whats in the Air
Olfaction is particularly important to lemurs. It can communicate information about age, sex, reproductive status, as well as demarcate the boundaries of a territory. It is most useful for communication between animals that rarely encounter each other.
Uncertain Paths
Lemurs are threatened by a host of environmental problems, including deforestation, hunting for bushmeat, live capture for the exotic pet trade, and climate change. All species are listed by CITES on Appendix I, which prohibits trade of specimens or parts, except for scientific purposes.
Target Sighted
A Ruffed Lemur has spotted a suitable female below. A display of acrobatics, bravado and exotic fruit offerings is sure to follow.
Quick Mover
Studies recording ruffed lemurs in captivity and in the wild over the course of a year show that ruffed lemurs on an average spend around 28% of their time feeding, 53% resting, and the last 19% socializing and moving about.
Catch Me If You Can
No other animal feels as thoroughly at home in the trees as a lemur. Those hands are so human like.
Swinger
A Black and White ruffed Lemur, in real playboy fashion, dangles from the tree tops in his strikingly fashionable gown and calls out to any females on the ground below.
Look Front
There just might be a rival!
Look Up
Has your partner had enough and left the branch?
Look Down
Any sign of food, glorious food?
Figs for Tea
A fig in need is a fig indeed.
Steady On
A calculated grab is what is required here.
Within Reach
Come to Mama…
Evening Hang
A surprisingly sturdy branch for such a hefty looking lemur.
Peeking Through
A shy Eastern Bamboo Lemur peek at her distant relatives as they take photographs of her using smartphones and cameras.
Vacant Stare
Light filters onto this lemur’s face from the tropical sky above.
Lady Lemur
A female watches the other members of her troop reflectively. Lemurs tend to be very social animals and, like monkeys and primates, serve specific roles in their community.
Mrs. Brown
True lemurs, also known as brown lemurs, are the lemurs in genus Eulemur. They are medium-sized primates that live exclusively on Madagascar.
Fine Coat
The fur of the true lemurs is long and usually reddish brown. Often there is sexual dimorphism in coloration (sexual dichromatism), such as in the black lemur. True lemurs are from 30 to 50 cm (12 to 20 in) in length, with a tail that is as long or significantly longer than the body. They weigh from 2 to 4 kg.
Red Fronted Brown Lemur
The red-fronted lemur (Eulemur rufifrons), also known as the red-fronted brown lemur or southern red-fronted brown lemur, is a species of lemur from Madagascar.
Lemur Geography
There is considerable geographic variation in the natural history of this species. Western populations tend to have smaller home ranges and higher population densities than eastern populations, although group size tends to be fairly consistent (generally 4-18 animals averaging of 8-9).
Lovely Looks
A Lemur’s amber eyes complement her rufus coat.
Brown Lemur Diet
Diet is diverse, encompassing leaves, seeds, fruit, nectar and flowers, but more so in eastern populations. Western populations tend to rely more on leaves for their diet. Western populations are primarily diurnal, but increase nocturnal activity during the dry season, while eastern populations show less such dichotomy.
Forbidden Fruit
Well.. fruit is fruit. Chomp!
Did You Hear That?
A lemur thought he heard the hiss of a hognose snake.
Apple Time
Nothing quite like a juicy red apple to start the day.
Range of the Brown Lemurs
The red-fronted lemur lives on the western coast of Madagascar between the Tsiribihina River to the north and south of the Fiheranana River and in eastern Madagascar from the Mangoro River and Onive River to the Andringitra Massif. It lives in dry lowland forests.
Happy Gazer
A Red-Fronted Brown Lemur gazes down at her family below.
Perfectly Perched
A Red-Fronted Brown Lemur perches herself between two hardwood trees.
Long Way Down
This lemur might be having second thoughts about her adventurous climb.
What’s in a Name?
"Lemur" was coined in 1795 by Carl Linnaeus, the founder of modern taxonomy, who took it from Latin. Lemures were "evil spirits of the dead" in Roman mythology, according to the Online Etymology Dictionary, and while the origin is hazy before that, it might date back to an ancient, non-Indo-European word for malevolent spirits.
Eerie Surroundings
Lemurs have eerily humanoid bodies, move around with ghostly grace and tend to be active at night. Still, the "evil" part is a little unfair. Linnaeus may not have meant it literally, but certain lemurs — namely the endangered aye-aye — are still haunted by people who do.
A Great Family
Lemurs don't just come in lots of shapes, sizes and colors; they range from adorable to eerie, curious to cantankerous and stubborn to resourceful. Despite having grown apart for 60 million years, one look at a lemur can remind us how much we still have in common — and how lucky we are to still have such a big, weird family.
Fruit Connoisseur
Ruffed lemurs come in two species: red or black and white, both of which inhabit tropical rain forests in Madagascar and are connoisseurs of its native fruit.
Keystone Species
Due to their close relationships with native trees — including hardwoods prized by logging interests — ruffed lemurs are seen by scientists as key indicators of forest health.
Chilling Prosimians
Lemurs belong to a group called prosimian primates, defined as all primates that are neither monkeys nor apes. Though there are many species of lemur, there are very few individuals. Lemurs are considered the most endangered group of animals on the planet. These primates are only found in one small area of the Earth. Many species have small and decreasing numbers.
Spotted
There are a whopping 105 species of lemur, and they naturally come in a wide range of sizes. These red-fronted brown lemurs have just spotted another primate species taking their photograph.
Social Beings
Lemurs are very social creatures and live in groups called troops. The ring-tail lemur’s troop is led by a dominant female and can include six to 30 animals.
Call of The Wild
A Ruffed lemur starts his tree top voyage.
The Sound of a Rival
The unmistakable chorus of a rival troop alerts this ruffed lemur.
Taking the Plunge
A lemur braces himself for a leap across branches.
Check Below
There just might be a juicy fig on a tempting lower branch.
Good Hands
Bamboo lemurs appear to have greater manual dexterity and superior hand-eye coordination than other lemurs.
Picky Diet
Only in the winter, when shoots are scarce, will the bamboo lemur eat a significant amount of mature bamboo leaves. At certain times of the year, bamboo accounts for 90% of their diet. At other times of the year berries, grass stems and other young leaves supplement this lemur’s diet.
Dexterity Defined
While foraging through a thick stand of bamboo, searching for these tender bits, the bamboo lemur simply doesn’t have time for the typical lemur food searching strategy which is to sniff each and every potential bite. Instead, the bamboo lemur will stand in one spot, and visually scan the nearby foliage for that special shoot.
Upright in Life
Bamboo Lemurs prefer to maintain an upright position when traveling through the trees, and will do so by quickly jumping from one vertical bamboo stalk to another as they make their way through the forest.
Social Bamboolians
In the wild, the gray gentle lemur lives in groups ranging from three to six, and which in some instances might contain more than one female of breeding age.
All in a Day’s Scent
Scent marking is an important method of communication for bamboo lemurs. Surprisingly, the male bamboo lemur is equipped with a set of scent glands exactly like those found on male ring-tailed lemurs, but not found on any other type of lemur.
Gentle Grays
In the wild, the gray gentle lemur lives in groups ranging from three to six, and which in some instances might contain more than one female of breeding age.
Range
Home range size ranges from 8 ha to 15 ha depending on the quality of the habitat. As is true of most lemur species, females are dominant over males, and in the wild as well as in captivity they will invest some energy in chasing the males away from choice feeding sites.
Call of Duty
A Bamboo Lemur heralds the presence of a good bamboo meal.