Know Your Primate: Archaeolemur majori

Order: Primates
Suborder: Strepsirrhini
Infraorder: Lemuriformes
Family: Archaeolemuridae
Genus: Archaeolemur
Species: Archaeolemur majori

Archaeolemurs are extinct lemurs from the island of Madagascar. They were quadrupedal frugivores that exploited both terrestrial and aboreal environments.

(Picture source: Tattersall 1973 Cranial Anatomy Of The Archaeolemurinae (Lemouroidea, Primates), Anthropological Papers of the AMNH, Vol 52, Part I)

Know Your Primate:Varecia variegata

In honor of those who have delurked here is another installment of my long neglected Know Your Primate series.

Cool Science News: Pygmy Tarsiers and Fossil Lemurs

I was planning on writing about the new Homo erectus pelvis but when I got home I discovered a crisis – Firefox gave me error messages and wouldn’t open (which meant no bookmarks and hence no access to anything important like this blog). Spent about an hour getting that straightened out. I’ll get the H. erectus post up tomorrow. In the meantime here are some really interesting stories.

Saturday Know Your Primate: Hapalemur griseus

Order: Primates
Suborder: Strepsirrhini
Family: Lemuridae
Genus: Hapalemur
Species: Hapalemur griseus
Common: Gentle Bamboo Lemur
According to Walker’s Primates of the World there are three species in the genus Hapalemur, however the ADW lists four.

Know Your Primate: Lepilemur mustelinus

Order: Primates
Suborder: Strepsirrhini
Family: Lepilemuridae
Genus: Lepilemur
Species: Lepilemur mustelinus
Common Name: Weasel or Sportive Lemur
The genus Lepilemur contains anywhere from one to eight species – depending on who you talk to. Sportive lemurs live in deciduous forests in Madagascar and are nocturnal and folivorous.

Know Your Primate: Lemur catta

Order: Primates
Suborder: Strepsirrhini
Family: Lemuridae
Genus: Lemur
Species: Lemur catta
Common name: Ring-Tailed Lemurs
I must confess that I have a fondness for the lemurs – especially the ring-tailed lemurs.

Know Your Primate: Pachylemur insignis

Superfamily: Lemuroidea
Family: Lemuridae
Subfamily: Lemurianae
Genus: Pachylemur
Species: Pachylemur insignis
The genus Pachylemur is, at present, composed of two species; Pachylemur insignis and Pachylemur jullyi .

Know Your Primate: Diademed Sifaka

Order: Primates
Infraorder: Lemuriformes
Family: Indriidae
Subfamily: Indriinae
Genus: Propithecus
Species: Propithecus diadema
Common Name: Diademed Sifaka
The Indriinae are composed of eight genera, of which four are extinct. The genus Propithecus contains three species, with Propithecus diadema being the larger. Currently, Propithecus diadema is divided into four subspecies: Propithecus diadema diadema, Propithecus diadema edwardsi, Propithecus diadema candidus, and Propithecus diadema perrieri distinguished mainly on the basis of pelage.

Saturday Know Your Primate: Megaladapis edwardsi

Suborder: Strepsirrhini
Infraorder: Lemuriformes
Superfamily: Lemuroidea
Family: Megaladapidae
Species: Megaladapis edwardsi
Madagascar is, and has been, home to a wide variety of interesting primates. Once upon a time, Madagascar was the home to several species of giant primates.

Friday Know Your Primate: Indris

Infraorder Lemuriformes
Family Indriidae
Subfamily Indriinae
Genus Indris
Species Indri Indri