Image of the Day: New Lemurs Found

Three new, big-eyed lemurs have been discovered on the island of Madagascar. One of them, Lepilemur randrianasoli, is pictured above.

The other two new members to the lemur family are Lepilemur aeeclis and Lepilemur sahamalazensis. The lemurs live in distinct geographical areas and were identified based on either bodily or genetic differences.

Lemurs are found naturally only on the island of Madagascar and range from less than a pound to over 20 pounds. They are the most endangered primates in the world and there are only about 50 known species in existence. The three new lemur species are described in the current issue of journal BMC Evolutionary Biology.

--Ker Than

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Credit:  Andriaholinirina et al