In celebration of World Lemur Day – an event created to raise awareness of these incredibly valuable Madagascan primates as they are in their natural habitats – we’ve put together five of our favourite species of lemur… not an easy task when there’s more than 111 known species of lemur on the planet!
Ring tailed lemur
One of the most famous species of lemur – you’ve got King Julien to thank for that! – ring-tailed lemurs live in big family groups of up to 30 individuals, called troops. Their striking tails are used for balance and communication, and can grow up to 56 centimetres in length.
Sifaka
This primates unusual name is a result of the unique call they make, which sounds like “shif-auk”. Living in smaller family units than ring-tailed lemurs, sifaka’s are known for their ability to use their powerful hind legs to hop sideways across the forest floor. When not performing this cool move, they can be found spending the majority of their time up in the treetops.
(Image: Mark Thomas, Pixabay)
Red ruffed lemur
These striking lemurs can only be found in a small part of north-eastern Madagascar. Red ruffed lemurs are capable of communicating with other species of lemur, such as the black and white ruffed lemur, as they can understand one another’s calls.
Bamboo lemur
There are five subspecies of bamboo lemur and, as you may have guessed by their name, they are the only primates who live on a bamboo diet. The largest of the subspecies is the Greater bamboo lemur, which was discovered in 1870.
(Images: PuaBar, Pixabay)
Indri
Meet the largest species of lemur on the planet, which can grow as big as a human child! Indri spend the majority of their time foraging for food high in the trees and, despite the long tails of their relatives, have shorter tails that are often less than 5cm long.
(Image: Hans-Jurgen Mager, Unsplash)
(All other images, courtesy of Pexels)
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