Learn about Lemurs

Our Membership in Action conservation focus for 2026 is the lemur. Read on to learn about lemurs!

Kingdom:  Animalia

Phylum:  Chordata

Subphylum:  Vertebrata

Class:  Aves

Order:  Sphenisciformes

Family:  Spheniscidae

Genus:  Spheniscus

Species:  S. demersus

Lemurs (Suborder Strepsirrhini) are primates that are found only on the island of Madagascar and the nearby Comoro Islands. There are over 100 species of lemurs, and they are generally known for large eyes, fox-like faces, and long, bushy tails that are longer than the rest of their body. They are known as the “creators of the forest”, as they play the vital roles of pollinators and seed dispersers in their environment. Lemurs do this through their diet, as they eat fruit with seeds they cannot digest, which then become part of their droppings. As they move about the forest, the seeds they drop allow the forest to spread and new plant life to grow. The trees which grow then provide food and shelter for other animals in the environment such as birds, lizards, and even other lemurs.

Behavior:

Lemurs live in matriarchal troops, which means that the females are dominant. As a result, female lemurs typically remain with the troops into which they are born. On the other hand, male lemurs are typically lower in the hierarchy, and because of this they are more likely to change troops frequently – some males change troops approximately every three years.

Habitat:

Lemurs are found exclusively on the island of Madagascar and, for some species, the nearby Comoro Islands. Various species have adapted to the different habitats on the island, ranging from tropical forests to marshlands. A majority of lemurs are arboreal, meaning that they live primarily in trees.

Diet:

Most lemur species are herbivores, feeding on leaves, flowers, and fruits. Some species also eat insects, eggs, and small birds.

Conservation

The conservation status of lemur species ranges from vulnerable to critically endangered. Their main threats are climate change and deforestation; lemur habitats are often cut down for illegal logging, cleared for agriculture, and utilized for mining. Lemurs are often hunted for food both by desperate locals who are also struggling due to these crises, and from the tourist industry where lemur is served as a luxury meat.

As bleak as that sounds, there is work being done to address these issues. Madagascar is a biodiversity hotspot and therefore a popular location for ecotourism. When people travel to the island to see the distinctive and amazing wildlife, their visits help support local people, and this can encourage locals to save the forests for ecotourism purposes. There are also many organizations working within Madagascar to save the environment, and a few that Essex County Turtle Back Zoo and the Zoological Society of New Jersey have supported. Keep a lookout over the next few months for exclusive member emails containing information about these organizations and how they are helping lemurs.

Fun Facts

1. The name “lemur” comes from the latin word for “ghost”.
2. Lemurs communicate through barks, grunts, shrieks, and whistles, as well as through scent. Lemurs have scent glands on their rear ends and on their feet that leave odors on surfaces they encounter. When other lemurs pass by, they smell those odors and can tell that another lemur has been there.
3. Lemur species range in size, from 1 ounce (Peter’s Mouse Lemur) to 20 lbs (Indri).
4. The largest lemur species ever to have lived was the Archaeoindris fontoynontii. Scientists believed this lemur species lived around 350 BCE and was the size of a gorilla, weighing about 350 pounds.
5. Lemurs can live approximately to 30 years old.
6. Smaller lemur species are typically nocturnal, while larger species are awake during the day (diurnal).
7. On the second toe of each hind limb, lemurs have one claw known as a “toilet claw”; this is a comb-like claw which is specialized for grooming purposes. They also groom by licking and tooth-scraping with narrow, horizontal lower incisors and canines, called a “tooth comb”.
8. Lemurs can maneuver through the trees up to 3.5 miles in a day to forage for food.
9. Lemurs have both natural and introduced predators. Their native predators include the fossa (Cryptoprocta ferox), the Madagascar harrier-hawk (Polyboroides radiatus), the Madagascar buzzard (Buteo brachypterus), and the Madagascar ground boa (Acrantophis madagascariensis). Introduced predators include the small Indian civet (Viverricula indica), domestic cats, domestic dogs and humans.
10. When threatened, lemurs use their short nails to scratch at their attacker.
11. Lemurs are primates, but they are not monkeys or apes. They are of their own class family, which split from monkeys and apes around 70 million years ago. Scientists believe that lemur ancestors may have floated to Madagascar on mats of vegetation from mainland Africa over 50 million years ago. A lack of other species, including the lack of other primates, allowed lemur ancestors to evolve – as a result, many different lemur species began to emerge filling many different niches around Madagascar.