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Lemurs are not as commonly seen in pop culture settings as other primates, but their popularity has grown recently due to greater exposure.
Lemurs are not as commonly seen in pop culture settings as other primates, but their popularity has grown recently due to greater exposure.


*The comic strip [[[<ref>Dilbert</ref>]]] by [[Scott Adams]] featured several panels comparing managers to drunken lemurs. An employee was fired for posting the strips at his office. Dilbert subsequently spoffed the real life event with another series of strips in which Wally is fired when office surveillance cameras catch him posting the anti-management comic on the wall.
*The comic strip [[Dilbert]] by [[Scott Adams]] featured several panels comparing managers to drunken lemurs. An employee was fired for posting the strips at his office. Dilbert subsequently spoffed the real life event with another series of strips in which Wally is fired when office surveillance cameras catch him posting the anti-management comic on the wall.
*The novella ''[[Ghost of Chance]]'' by [[William S. Burroughs]], set in Madagascar, initially focuses on a character named Captain Mission, who looks after and cares for lemurs. The book is described on the back cover of the 1995 edition as "an important story about environmental devastation."
*The novella ''[[Ghost of Chance]]'' by [[William S. Burroughs]], set in Madagascar, initially focuses on a character named Captain Mission, who looks after and cares for lemurs. The book is described on the back cover of the 1995 edition as "an important story about environmental devastation."
*[[Raw Dog Screaming Press]] is publishing a [[Tom Bradley (author)|Tom Bradley]] novel entitled ''Lemur'', about a would-be serial killing busboy who works in a restaurant which has a lemur mascot. The cover of the book features a ring-tailed lemur holding a meat cleaver behind its back and leering in a sinister manner.
*[[Raw Dog Screaming Press]] is publishing a [[Tom Bradley (author)|Tom Bradley]] novel entitled ''Lemur'', about a would-be serial killing busboy who works in a restaurant which has a lemur mascot. The cover of the book features a ring-tailed lemur holding a meat cleaver behind its back and leering in a sinister manner.

Revision as of 18:02, 21 February 2008

Lemurs[1]
Ring-tailed Lemurs (Lemur catta)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Mammalia
Order:
Primates
Suborder:
Strepsirrhini
Infraorder:
Lemuriformes

Gray, 1821
Superfamilies and Families

Lemurs make up the infraorder Lemuriformes and are members of a group of primates known as prosimians. The term "lemur" is derived from the Latin word lemures, meaning "spirits of the night" or "ghosts". This likely refers to their large, reflective eyes and the wailing cries of some species (the Indri in particular). The term is generically used for the members of the four lemuriform families, but it is also the genus of one of the lemuriform species, the Ring-tailed Lemur (Lemur catta). The two so-called flying lemur species are not lemurs, nor are they even primates.

Biology

Lemurs are found naturally only on the island of Madagascar and some smaller surrounding islands, including the Comoros (where they were likely introduced by humans). Fossil evidence indicates that they reached Madagascar after it broke away from mainland Africa, possibly by "rafting" across the ocean on large clumps of vegetation.[2] While their ancestors were displaced in the rest of the world by monkeys, apes, and other primates, the lemurs were safe from competition on Madagascar and differentiated into a number of species. These range in size from the tiny 30 gram (1 oz) Pygmy Mouse Lemur to the 10 kilogram (22 lb) Indri. The larger species, some of which weighed up to 240 kg[3], have all become extinct since humans settled on Madagascar, and since the early 20th century the largest lemurs reach about 7 kilograms (15 lbs). Typically, the smaller lemurs are nocturnal, while the larger ones are diurnal.

The small cheirogaleoids are generally omnivores, eating a variety of fruits, flowers and leaves (and sometimes nectar) as well as insects, spiders and small vertebrates. The remainder of the lemurs, the lemuroids are primarily herbivores, although some species supplement their diet with insects.

Except for the Indri, all lemurs have long tails that they use for communication with each other and balance when leaping between trees. They have opposable thumbs and long toes adapted for gripping tree branches. Lemurs have nails rather than claws on all digits except the second toe of each hind foot, which has a "toilet claw" for grooming. All lemur species have a tapetum, the reflective layer over the retina that causes their eyes to shine at night.[3] Lemurs are thought to have limited color vision.[3] Lemurs depend heavily on the sense of smell and have large nasal cavities and moist noses.[3]

Unlike most other primates, lemur species that live in groups have a Matriarchal society (i.e. females are dominant over males). Most lemur species are arboreal and traverse the canopy by vertical clinging and leaping or quadrupedalism, with the exception of the Ring-Tailed Lemur, which spends most of its time on the ground.

Endangered species

Female (top) and male (bottom) black lemurs in their natural habitat in Madagascar

Most lemurs are listed as endangered or threatened species. Many species have gone extinct in the last centuries, mainly due to habitat destruction (deforestation) and hunting. Conservation of lemurs in Madagascar is a high priority, but the country's poor economic situation and the lemurs' limited range make it an uphill battle. There are 85 living lemur species accounted for in current publications,[4][5][6][7], with more documentation currently awaiting publication.

One of the foremost lemur research facilities is the Duke Lemur Center.

Classification

Thermographic image of a Ring-tailed Lemur in the morning sun.

As shown here, the four families of lemurs are split into two superfamilies. The Cheirogaleidae have a pedal structure similar to the other strepsirrhine families and the haplorrhines, suggesting they split off from the other lemurs first. As such, the Cheirogaleoidea are a sister clade to the Lemuroidea.

Lemurs are not as commonly seen in pop culture settings as other primates, but their popularity has grown recently due to greater exposure.

  • The comic strip Dilbert by Scott Adams featured several panels comparing managers to drunken lemurs. An employee was fired for posting the strips at his office. Dilbert subsequently spoffed the real life event with another series of strips in which Wally is fired when office surveillance cameras catch him posting the anti-management comic on the wall.
  • The novella Ghost of Chance by William S. Burroughs, set in Madagascar, initially focuses on a character named Captain Mission, who looks after and cares for lemurs. The book is described on the back cover of the 1995 edition as "an important story about environmental devastation."
  • Raw Dog Screaming Press is publishing a Tom Bradley novel entitled Lemur, about a would-be serial killing busboy who works in a restaurant which has a lemur mascot. The cover of the book features a ring-tailed lemur holding a meat cleaver behind its back and leering in a sinister manner.
  • A Ring-tailed Lemur starred in the 1997 movie Fierce Creatures written by John Cleese.
  • Zoboomafoo, an educational PBS Kids television program, features a Coquerel's Sifaka who is also the show's namesake.
  • The Disney film Dinosaur (2000) features sifakas raising a dinosaur hatchling.
  • In the television program Fat Actress, Kirstie Alley keeps a pet lemur who is never seen but referenced in conversations; a recurring gag involves the proper preparation of yams for its meals.
  • Madagascar, a computer-animated film produced by DreamWorks Animation in 2005, prominently features a group of singing and dancing lemurs.
  • The Katurran Odyssey, a book written by David Michael Wieger and created and illustrated by Star Wars creature designer Terryl Whitlatch, includes a ring-tailed lemur protagonist and several other lemur characters.
  • In the Nickelodeon animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender, Aang keeps a 'winged lemur' named Momo for a pet. Momo mostly resembles a Verreaux's Sifaka, although his appearance was actually based off a Ring-Tailed Lemur mixed with a Spotted bat.
  • The American rock group The Mars Volta used a lemur in their logos, and one is used as the principal character in the video for their single Televators[1]
  • Lemurcon is a roughly annual late summer/early fall get-together of lemur enthusiasts at the Duke Lemur Center in North Carolina. Very roughly, this can be traced to the Usenet alt.fan.lemur mailing list.
  • Lemur Street, a twenty-episode series focused on two groups of Ring-tailed Lemurs in Madagascar.

References

  1. ^ a b Groves, C. P. (2005). Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 111–121. ISBN 0-801-88221-4. OCLC 62265494.
  2. ^ ""What's A Lemur?"". Retrieved 2006-04-19.
  3. ^ a b c d Strier, Karen B. (2000). Primate Behavioral Ecology. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. p. 49.
  4. ^ Mittermeier, Russell A., Konstant, William R., Hawkins, Frank, Louis, Edward E., and Langrand, Olivier (2006). Lemurs of Madagascar (2nd edition ed.). Conservation International. Retrieved 2006-10-29. {{cite book}}: |edition= has extra text (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ Andriaholinirina, N., Fausser, J., Roos, C., Rumpler, Y.; et al. (2006 February 23). "Molecular phylogeny and taxonomic revision of the sportive lemurs (Lepilemur, Primates)". BMC Evolutionary Biology. 6: 17. doi:10.1186/1471-2148-6-17. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Explicit use of et al. in: |author= (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ Edward E. Louis, Jr., Shannon E. Engberg, Runhua Lei, Huimin Geng, Julie A. Sommer, Richard Randriamampionona, Jean C. Randriamanana, John R. Zaonarivelo, Rambinintsoa Andriantompohavana, Gisele Randria, Prosper, Boromé Ramaromilanto, Gilbert Rakotoarisoa, Alejandro Rooney, and Rick A. Brenneman (2006). "Molecular and morphological analyses of the sportive lemurs (Family Megaladapidae: Genus Lepilemur) reveals 11 previously unrecognized species" (PDF). Texas Tech University Special Publications (49): 1–49.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ Olivieria, G., Zimmermannb, E., Randrianambininab, B., Rassoloharijaonab, S., Rakotondravonyb, D., Guschanskia, K., Radespiela, U. (2006-10-26). "The ever-increasing diversity in mouse lemurs: three new species in north and northwestern Madagascar". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2006.10.026.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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