lemur

Definition

Any strepsirrhine primate of the superfamily Lemuroidea, native only to Madagascar and some surrounding islands.

Etymology

From Latin lemurēs (“spirits of the dead”). The name was originally given to the red slender loris (then Lemur tardigradus) in 1754 by Carl Linnaeus. According to Linnaeus, the name was selected because of the nocturnal activity and slow movements of the red slender loris. In 1758, Linnaeus added, among others, the ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta) to the genus Lemur. All other species, including the red slender loris, were eventually moved to other genera. In time, the word became the colloquial name for all primates endemic to Madagascar.

Example Sentences

• ""Lemurs are naturally very social," said Mukobi. "Wild lemurs live in big family groups, and different species do really well together. Plus, the new lemur habitat is quite large, so each family group can have their own space when they choose to.""
• "Tucker-Brown explained how lemurs—like much of the “stranded” flora and fauna of Madagascar—are effectively living fossils. Belonging to a primate group called prosimians, lemurs were evolutionarily superseded by monkeys on mainland Africa 35mn years ago and driven to near-extinction."