Lemurs are tree-dwelling “prosimians,” meaning “pre-apes.” Prosimians are primates, just like monkeys, apes, and humans. Where it gets really interesting is how we all developed different strengths and strategies.
For example, prosimians have maintained more of a reliance on smell than other primates. In lemurs, the Jacobson’s organ – a nasal sensory organ that can “read” pheromones and other chemicals – has remained large. Their snouts are longer and better built for olfactory action than, say, a gorilla’s relatively flat nose. So it’s no surprise that lemurs communicate by spreading their scent around more than other primates.
Lemurs are endemic to Madagascar, meaning they are found nowhere else on Earth.
More than 150 million years ago, the island of Madagascar was born when a huge chunk of land separated and drifted away from Africa. On board that land mass or floating rafts of vegetation were the ancestors of many of Madagascar’s unique species. The earliest lemur ancestors were among these pioneers.
When Giant Lemurs Roamed the Earth
Isolated on their island, lemurs evolved and diversified into a host of species that each filled a specific environmental niche. Lemurs came in all sizes then, from small to extra-large – one was even as big as a gorilla. The giant lemurs were doomed to extinction when humans, and hunting, arrived on Madagascar some 1,500 years ago.
There are more than 70 different kinds of lemurs (some estimates are even slightly higher) grouped into 36 species. One-third are endangered. Their unique range in size, looks, behaviors, and lifestyles is unrivaled among primates.
The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) created Madagascar!, the exhibit, to introduce Madagascar, the island, to millions of Bronx Zoo visitors each year.
WCS has worked on the island for decades, studying its unique wildlife and habitats and helping to form solutions to its unique conservation challenges.
We worked with the Malagasy government to establish the protected areas of Masoala National Park and Makira Protected Forest, and now co-manage these areas. Masoala and Makira extend into marine habitats, too, including Antongil Bay, a key calving and breeding ground for humpback whales.
Together Masoala and Makira span 1,606,185 acres, sheltering about 1 percent of the world’s wildlife species.
Click here to learn about the exhibit and WCS work in Madagascar
