New Species of Lemurs Found
Personally, I think lemurs are the coolest animal on Earth. There are amazing birds, super fast cats, intelligent sea mammals, and some bizarre insects, but for me the lemur is the simply the greatest, ever. Not only are they the closest living analogs to our ancient primate ancestors but they also just look neat and seem to have great personalities (although to be fair, I have never met one in person).
Microcebus lehilahytsara. Photo: Robert Zingg
Now primatologists have discovered two new species of lemur, bringing the total known number of lemur species to 49. Lemurs can only be found on the island of Madagascar, and due to the rapid loss of environment on the island are an animal that is considered endangered. A third of the known species are already extinct.
Lemurs have evolved in isolation on Madagascar, as have many other species, since the island separated from the rest of Africa some 165 million years ago. Because of this isolation, Madagascar is home to many unique animals. There are even dinosaurs that were unique to Madagascar.
The new species are a giant mouse lemur about the size of a squirrel called Mirza zaza and a mouse lemur with short, rounded ears, and a white stripe on its nose called Microcebus lehilahytsara.
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Lemurs are SO awesome!! It's cool that they now have 49 species. It's always good to have more lemurs.
I'm sorry but there are 50 new speices, you could go to the web site Lemurs.com and they can tell you the names of all 50 of them and you are correct Lemurs are so awesome.
There are and always were more than 50 species of lemurs - the fact that we found and defined it doesn't magically make more lemurs.
There are species out there of lemurs unfound, yet they exist even though we haven't read about them
I'm glad that they found another species of lemurs. I never knew how many there were!! It makes me more intrested about these animals.
I have never seen such a cute face as this. (Well, except for my cat.) This is very interesting, and its amazing that there are now 49 species of lemurs out there. Hopefully they will stay and not leave us.
I love lemurs ever since i saw the movie Madagacar i think they are the best!!! especially when i saw them dance MOVE IT!
I dont like the little creatures , they creap me out whoHo
aye-aye and lemurs are so cute i like the small ones weee (aye-ayes are cousins of lemurs)
aye-aye and lemurs are soooooooooooo cute (aye-aye are couisans of lemurs)
I couldn't agree more!! Not only are lemurs furry and adorable but they're from Madagascar!! What more could you want of a wild beastie?!
I Think Lemurs Are The Most Amazing creatures ever!!!!
I really loved king julein in madagascar!!!
I like to move it, move it!!!
My Fav lemurs are the ring-tailed lemur...
So sad that 17 out of 50 are endangered...
Aww, I want a lemur just like that one! It's so cute! How could you deny those big sparkling eyes. Hehe.
<3 Laney**
i love lemurs so much, i love the ring tailed lemur and the black and orange lemurs its a shame you cant have them as pets
is it possible to have a mouse lemur as a pet?
It wouldn't be a good idea. Several of Madagascar's lemurs are endangered, and while this mainly due to habitat destruction and hunting, people do trap them for pets. This serves to decrease their amounts in the wild where they are really at home.
This lemur FAQ answers your question more specifically:
In the words of Joao de Souza, who researched the issue:
- In some cities in the USA it is legal to own a lemur, but you will have some very hard time trying to find one for sale. Pet shops will NOT carry them, and any reputable zoo or university will NOT sell you one of theirs.
- Having a lemur as a pet is not at all a good idea. Okay, they are adorable looking little cretures, but thats when you don't have to take care of them. First of all, like most primates, lemurs are VERY strong. They like to run around and to climb onto your furniture. Unless you have a huge back-yard, and are willing to transforming it into a cage, the lemur WILL destroy your house.
- Lemurs cannot be house trained (they will defecate wherever they feel like, and they will pee all over the house in order to mark the territory). If you try to house train a lemur, it will turn violent, and you don't want a pissed-off lemur anywere near you.
You may want to try some easier pet (ie: an elephant, a couple of giraffes, a herd of buffalos, etc... :-)
Okay yuck. I think this animal's cuteness factor would wear off real quick when it started marking my bedroom as its territory.
I imagine a mouse lemur would require less room to raise then a normal lemur. Upon reaching puberty, hand-raised lemurs become very unpleasant pets. Since the mouse lemurs are nocturnal, they may be more timid and hence easier to deal with in adult stage. Trying to get a mouse lemur fixed could be a real challenge.
I am so excited that there are now 508 species of lemur on this great earth! I could name all of them if you want me to (that is what I do in spare time; name all the species out loud in alphabetical order, and I know them by heart mind you). I love lemurs and wish I were one.
how do you buuy LEMURS? PLZ HELP mE im trying to look for one to buy but its got to be low $ PLZ HElP
You don't. 17 of the 50-odd lemur species are endangered, and
"...all types of lemurs are protected by CITES, which makes it illegal hunt or capture lemurs for trade, except for scientific research, and to breed in zoos."
Not only is it illegal, and probably impossible (since the laws about lemurs are well enforced in Madagascar), but it's also not too smart. Primates, as a rule, do NOT make good pets.
I want one of those mouse lemurs where do i get one?
As Liza pointed out, directly above your question, all lemurs are protected by CITES, which makes it illegal hunt or capture lemurs for trade. So you can't get one anywhere. Get a goldfish if you want a pet - if you can make that work out for you work your way up from there - or volunteer at your local zoo if you want to work with Lemurs.
um what are the 17 endangered lemurs ive been lokkin and no one can tell me aall 17 by common name not scientific please get this information too me by sunday, December 16, 2007 please and thank you
MOST LEMURS AVAILABLE AS PETS, ARE BRED, NOT CAPTURED IN THE WILD....SOME STATES REQUIRE A CLASS III LISCENSE, SOME ALSO REQUIRE A CITIES PERMIT, AND SOME DON'T ALLOW THEM AS PETS AT ALL. CERTAIN SPECIES ARE NOT AVAILABLE IN THE U.S. AS TO WHETHER THEY MAKE GOOD PETS IS SUBJECTIVE. SOME DOGS DON'T MAKE GOOD PETS....I AM NOT SAYING GO OUT AND GET ONE, AS THEY REQUIRE A LOT OF TIME AND WORK, SPECIAL DIETS, AND ENRICHMENT. AND YES THEY CAN GIVE A HECK OF A BITE....BUT I OWN TWO RIGHT NOW, A RINGTAIL AND A BLACK AND WHITE RUFFED, AND I WOULDN'T TRADE THEM FOR ANYTHING. BUT THEY CERTAINLY ARE NOT FOR EVERYONE.! NO, THEY CANNOT BE HOUSEBROKEN, BUT MY BLACK AND WHITE SOMETIMES GETS TO SLEEP IN MY BED AND HAS NEVER GONE TO THE BATHROOM IN IT. NOT ALL LEMURS DISTRIBUTE THEIR SCENT BY PEEING ON THINGS....THE RINGTAILS USE THEIR ARMS TO PLACE A SCENT ON THEIR TAILS, AND THEN WAVE THEIR TAIL IN THE AIR, AND THE B&W RUFFED USES HIS REAR END....NEITHER OF WHICH, CAN THE ODOR BE DETECTED BY THE HUMAN NOSE. YES, THEY CAN MAKE A WRECK OF THE HOUSE IF NOT SUPERVISED, AND YOU DO NEED A LARGE CAGE TO HOUSE THEM IN. SOME PET SHOPS DO SELL LEMURS, BUT MOST ARE GOTTEN THROUGH BROKERS OR PRIVATE BREEDERS. I DIDN'T WRITE THIS TO ENCOURAGE ANY ONE OF YOU TO GET ONE, SINCE THE MAJORITY OF THE PUBLIC WHO GET THEM AS PETS, GIVE THEM UP EVENTUALLY BECAUSE OF WORK AND TIME IT TAKES TO CARE FOR THEM, WHEN THE NOVELTY OF OWNING A WILD ANIMAL WEARS OFF (which doesn't take long for most people), AND LAST,BUT NOT LEAST, THEY WILL BITE SOONER OR LATER.IT'S A COMMITMENT NOT TO BE TAKEN LIGHTLY AS THEY CAN LIVE FOR THIRTY YEARS AND MORE, AND REMAIN A VIRTUAL TWO YEAR OLD, ALL OF THEIR LIVES. THEY REQUIRE A LOT OF YOUR TIME....NOT JUST A HOUR OR TWO HERE AND THERE....BUT DAILY ATTENTION...AND IF YOU WORK A REGULAR WORK WEEK, FORGET IT! IN CONCLUSION, I WROTE THIS, BECAUSE NOT ALL OF THE INFO ON THIS SITE IS CORRECT......AS I SAID BEFORE, WHAT MAKES A GOOD PET IS TRULY SUBJECTIVE.
Thanks for your comments. You may not know this but when you type in all caps in a blog or an email you are SHOUTING. Now, onto the legality thing. It is illegal in most states to own any kind of primate, including lemurs.
It is true that if the animals were bred in captivity (using animals descended from those brought in before the ban was enacted) you can legally own one - if the laws in your state permit it. The USDA issues permits for keeping and breeding certain exotic species, whether captured from the wild or bred.
As of January 1, 2005 it is illegal to purchase an exotic pet, such as a lemur, in the state of Minnesota.
YOU CAN HAVE LEMURS AS PETS, I HAVE SEVERAL INCLUDING BOTH RUFFED COLORS, RINGTAILS AND
TWO TYPES OF BROWNS.
I lovvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvve Mouse Lemurs. They're just adorable, but i've always wondered what they feel like, i mean you wouldn't want to hold something that felt sticky toffee or puke, ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww. Anyway they're cute,(especially their eyes) and there's no two ways about it, you can't deny it!
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