Lemur
From CreationWiki, the encyclopedia of creation science
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Superfamily: Cheirogaleoidea
Superfamily: Lemuroidea
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Lemur is the common name for any of the member of the taxonomic infraorder Lemuriformes. The term "lemur" is derived from the Latin word lemures, which means "spirits of the night". This is referring to many lemurs' nocturnal behavior and their large, reflective eyes. Lemurs live only on the island of Madagascar, off the eastern coast of Africa. There were over 50 species of Lemurs but now the forests of Madagascar are being taken over by people who need wood or things forests contain like for building and things, so there are only about 30 species left, 14 have become extinct. [1] They are also hunted and trapped to be used as pets, trading, and food. Lemurs are social animals. They spend most of their time in trees and bushes. The ring-tailed lemur, spends half of its day on the ground. In the mornings, they usually sunbathe to get warmer. Lemurs eat leaves and fruits, although they will sometimes eat insects or smaller animals. Lemurs communicate vocally and through leaving scents. A group of lemurs usually has one female who leads the group. [2]
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Anatomy
Most of the Lemurs have long pointed noses, and they all vary in between these colors, reddish brown to gray. There are more then 50 species of Lemurs so it's hard to tell the physical description but, the main species of the Lemur are the Ring-tailed lemurs. They are called that because their tails look like they have rings on them, of black and white. They all vary in sizes. [3] They have four legs and a tail. They have long toes and fingers for holding things, just like monkeys. They can tell if another Lemur passes by something by smell because they can't see color very well and their smell is the strongest scent. Lemur's have scent glands on the bottom of their feet so when they walk around other lemurs can smell that they have been there. [4]
Size: Head and body, 17.75 in (45 cm); Tail, 21.75 in (55 cm)
Reproduction
They usually breed in the fall, and go into labor in the spring. Females can nurse up to six infants at the same time. Most of the births take place at night. Labour takes about half an hour. The time it takes between infants is usually 10 minutes. They usually give birth to twins. The mother will carry the baby lemur around in her mouth, until it is old enough and has enough strength to hold onto her fur. [5]
Ecology
Lemurs are important in Madagascar and the Comores Islands, because they spit out the seeds from the fruit and other foods they eat, Which then will probably grow into new plants, which is very important because the forests in Madagascar are being destroyed. Eighty percent of the lemur's original habitat in Madagascar has been destroyed. All the lemurs are protected by CITES, which makes it illegal to hunt or capture lemurs for trade, except for science research, and to breed in zoos.
Other
- Most lemurs live for about 18 years.
- Ruffed lemurs can live 26 years in captivity.
- Lemurs cannot hang by their tails from trees like monkeys.
- Lemurs have a keen sense of smell and good vision.
- Lemurs have opposable thumbs and long toes.
Video
Gallery
 Crowned Lemur |
 Brown Lemur |
 Golden-brown Mouse Lemur |
 Red-Ruffed Lemur |
 Ring-tailed lemur |
References
- Lemurs by Lezle Williams.
- Lemur facts By Madhavi Ghare, published: 1/28/2008
- Lemurs Smithsonian National Zoological Parks
