Lemurs survive only on the island of Madagascar off the southeast coast of Africa in the Indian Ocean, and on the neighboring Comoros islands. The various species of lemurs can be found in habitats as different as the lush, wet, rainforest of eastern Madagascar and the very dry spiny desert in the southwest.
Physical Description Lemurs are primates. The species living today are small to medium-size mammals ranging from the smallest of all primates, the tiny pygmy mouse lemur (Microcebus myoxinus), which weighs only 30 grams (1 ounce), to the largest lemurs, the indri (Indri indri) and the diademed sifaka (Propithecus diadema diadema), which weigh slightly over 7 kg (15 pounds) and can reach 4 feet (1.2 m) tall.
Lemurs like all, primates have binocular vision and grasping hands. However, unlike most other primates, lemurs and other prosimians have a rhinarium, a moist, very sensitive nose.
With the exception of the indri, lemurs have long furry tails. They use these tails for balance when leaping through the forest canopy, but unlike some New World monkeys, these tails are not prehensile, and lemurs cannot hang from them.
Physical Description Lemurs are primates. The species living today are small to medium-size mammals ranging from the smallest of all primates, the tiny pygmy mouse lemur (Microcebus myoxinus), which weighs only 30 grams (1 ounce), to the largest lemurs, the indri (Indri indri) and the diademed sifaka (Propithecus diadema diadema), which weigh slightly over 7 kg (15 pounds) and can reach 4 feet (1.2 m) tall.
Lemurs like all, primates have binocular vision and grasping hands. However, unlike most other primates, lemurs and other prosimians have a rhinarium, a moist, very sensitive nose.
With the exception of the indri, lemurs have long furry tails. They use these tails for balance when leaping through the forest canopy, but unlike some New World monkeys, these tails are not prehensile, and lemurs cannot hang from them.
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