Lemurs are mammals of the order Primates, divided into 8 families and consisting of 15 genera and around 100 existing species. They are native only to the island of Madagascar. Most existing lemurs are small, have a pointed snout, large eyes, and a long tail. Lemurs share resemblance with other primates, but evolved independently from monkeys and apes. Many lemur species are threatened with extinction due to habitat loss and hunting.
About Lemur in brief
Lemurs are mammals of the order Primates, divided into 8 families and consisting of 15 genera and around 100 existing species. They are native only to the island of Madagascar. Most existing lemurs are small, have a pointed snout, large eyes, and a long tail. They chiefly live in trees, and are active at night. Lemurs share resemblance with other primates, but evolved independently from monkeys and apes. Many lemur species are threatened with extinction due to habitat loss and hunting. As of 2013, the International Union for Conservation of Nature considers lemur species to be the world’s most endangered mammals, noting that as of 2013 up to 90% of all Lemur species face extinction within the next 20 to 25 years. The name lemur is derived from the Latin lemures, which refers to specters or ghosts that were exorcised during the Lemuria festival of ancient Rome. It has also been speculated that Linnaeus may have assumed that some Malagasy primates share ancestral traits with early primates, such as lorises, pottos, and galagos, but this is not popularly confused with the popularly given name. It is unlikely that the name was selected for slender lorise from India; like other strepsirrhine primates, Lemurs are not belonging to the suborder Strepirrhini. It was noted in 2012 that it has been commonly and falsely referring to the ghost-like appearance, reflective eyes, ghostly cries, and nocturnal cries of lemURs.
The term was first intended for slenderLorises. It. was soon limited to the endemic Malagsasy primates, which have been known as Lemurs ever since. The name Lemur was selected because of the no Nocturnal activity and slow movements of the slender loris. Being familiar with the works of Virgil and Ovid and seeing an analogy that fit with his naming scheme,Linnaeus adapted the term ‘lemur’ for these. primates. He included three species under the genus Lemur: Lemur tardigradus, Lemur catta, and Lemur volans. Most 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. Lemurs have a relatively low basal metabolic rate, and as a result may exhibit dormancy such as hibernation or torpor. They also have seasonal breeding and female social dominance. Most eat a wide variety of fruits and leaves, while some are specialists. Two species of lemur may coexist in the same forest due to different diets. Two lemur types may coexistence in the Same Forest due to Different diets. The species of Lemur are not known to coexist due to the different diets of the two lemur groups. The lemur population in Madagascar is declining due to hunting and habitat loss.
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This page is based on the article Lemur published in Wikipedia (as of Dec. 01, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
