Lemuridae, from Latin lemurēs (“spirits of the dead”), in reference to the slender loris (formerly named Lemur tardigradus by Carl Linnaeus in 1754) because of its nocturnal activity and slow movements.

Common names of members

Lemurs.

Distribution  

Madagascar.

Size

They are medium size, with a length of 32 to 56 cm (not including the tail) and a weight of 0.7 to 5 kg.

Morphology

They are arboreal primates. Their silky, wooly fur comes in a variety of colors, and they have long, bushy tails. Unlike sportive lemurs, the hindlegs are marginally longer than the forelegs, but not enough to prevent full quadrupedal movement. The majority of species are incredibly nimble and frequently jump several meters between trees. They can see well with both eyes and have a keen sense of smell.

Habitat & Ecology

Dense canopy rainforest.

Diet

Although there are species that are insectivorous, omnivorous, and gumnivorous as well, they are primarily herbivorous, eating fruit, leaves, and occasionally nectar.

Reproduction 

Depending on the species, the mother gives birth to one or two offspring after a gestation period of 120 to 140 days. In general, they are friendly creatures, with certain species having up to thirty members in a group. While the membership of the groups vary day to day and appears to lack a defined social structure in many circumstances, in others the groups are long-lasting and have apparent dominance hierarchies.

Total species known

21

Species in the collection

1

Species in Hong Kong

0

Reference

Cowlishaw, G., Dunbar, R. I. M. (2000). Primate Conservation Biology. University of Chicago Press.

Pough, F. H., Janis, C. M., Heiser, J. B. (2012). Vertebrate Life. Pearson.

Macdonald, D. W. (2006). The Encyclopedia of mammals. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acref/9780199206087.001.0001.

Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (2005). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. Johns Hopkins University Press.

Sussman, R.W. (2003). Primate Ecology and Social Structure. Pearson Custom Publishing.

Petter, J. J. (1962). ECOLOGICAL AND BEHAVIORAL STUDIES OF MADAGASCAR LEMURS IN THE FIELD. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 102(2), 267-281. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-6632.1962.tb13645.x. 

Ganzhorn, J. U., Malcomber, S., Andrianantoanina, O., Goodman, S. M. (1996). Habitat Characteristics and Lemur Species Richness in Madagascar. Biotropica, 29(3), 331-343. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-7429.1997.tb00434.x.