A lemur has such big, curious eyes and is a really interesting animals. Let’s find out what are the seven cool things about the lemur.
- Home is…
Today, you can only find lemurs in the wild in Madagascar and the tiny islands surrounding it. But many years ago, between 65 and 75 million years ago, lemurs lived in Africa. It is thought that these primates crossed the seas somehow, but no one is sure exactly how.
2. Forest planters
Without even realising it, lemurs help the forest and plants to grow. They eat a variety of fruits but cannot digest the seeds. The seeds then move through their digestive systems and end up on the forest floor, where they germinate and grow again. Lemurs are planters and they don’t even know it!
3. We are family
There are more than 100 different species of lemur, with some people estimating the number at about 112. They come in various sizes and colours. The smallest lemur is the Madame Berthe’s mouse lemur, who only weighs 30g, and the largest lemur is the indri, who weighs up to 9kg. Although they are primates, they’re in a different family group to apes and monkeys.
4. Who’s the boss?
Lemurs are mainly matriarchal, meaning a female leads the conspiracy of lemurs, instead of a male. But it doesn’t end there, as is the case with most other animals. With lemurs, even the daughters of the main female have more say than the leading female’s mate.
5. Blue eyes
The blue-eyed black lemurs are some of the rarest animals who naturally have blue eyes. Only the male blue-eyed black lemurs have black fur. The females have reddish-brown fur with a lighter outline around their faces.
6. Old, really old!
Just think about it – lemurs lived at the same time as dinosaurs! They are the world’s oldest living primates. As there are no large predators in Madagascar, lemurs were able to evolve into the various types we find today.
7. Movie stars
If you’re into animated animal movies, you’ll know that the main lemur characters in the movie Madagascar are the ring-tailed lemur called King Julien, the aye-aye called Maurice and the mouse lemur called Mort.
