Happy Halloleem!
Posted 4 years ago
Bats, rats and lemurs? Oh my!
Lemurs are an excellent addition for Halloween!
The word lemur is derived from the Latin âlemuresâ, which refers to specters or ghosts that were exorcised during the Lemurian Festival of ancient Rome. Although the term "lemur" was first intended for slender lorises, it was soon limited to the Malagasy primates, which have been known as "lemurs" ever since. The name was selected because of the nocturnal activity and slow movements of the slender loris.
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Naturally we canât forget the aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis!)
Aye-aye are the largest nocturnal primate with an elusive extended distribution all across the eastern coast of Madagascar. Its suitable habitat is rainforest or deciduous forests. While the aye-aye may appear âcreepyâ theyâre anything but scary. Unfortunately, their looks attract trouble and are frequently considered as a harbinger of evil. Others believe, if one points its narrowest finger at someone, they are marked for death. The appearance of an aye-aye in a village predicts the death of a villager, and the only way to prevent this is to execute it.
Aye-aye are an incredibly unique species of lemur. With their rodentlike incisors and hooked sublingua, spheroid jointed middle finger, large bat ears for echolocating insects AND a hidden sixth pseudo thumb to aid in gripping...there's not an animal like it!
The aye-aye uses two specialized fingers that work together! The third and the fourth digits are utilized in various activities. The thin third finger is used preferably for tapping, inserting into the mouth and probing for nectar. When probing for invertebrates, both fingers are used. The third finger seems to work in tasks requiring high mobility, sensitivity and precision, whereas the fourth finger appears to be specialized for strength, scooping action and deep access.
With recent studies, the aye-aye may have transformed the way we know about lemur evolution! Scientists discovered a misidentified fossil dating only 20 million years. There's insufficient evidence that lemurs may have evolved not one, but TWICE! However, as stated, there are not enough data to back up the study at this time, for now what we recognize is how lemurs traditionally evolved on Madagascar.
Aye-aye articles to read:
⢠New Study Looks at Evolution of Aye-Aye
⢠Enigmatic African fossils rewrite story of when lemurs got to Madagascar
⢠Scientists discover why elusive aye-aye developed such unusual features
⢠New discovery: Madagascarâs bizarre aye-aye has six fingers on each hand
⢠Hand and foot pressures in the aye-aye reveal novel biomechanical trade-offs required for walking on gracile digits
⢠Aye-aye population genomic analyses highlight an important center of endemism in northern Madagascarđ World Lemur Day
Posted 4 years ago
Leap...Leap...Leap for lemurs today on World Lemur Day!
The first World Lemur Festival was celebrated in 2014, thanks to Jonah Ratsimbazafy of GERP Madagascar, one of Madagascarâs leading primatologists. It has been held every year since.
The festival raises awareness about the value of lemurs as Madagascarâs unique natural heritage among scientists and the public. It aims to awaken pride for lemurs in Malagasy people, improve the economy through tourism, and promote lemur conservation and education worldwide.
Lemurs are strepsirrhines, informally known as âprosimiansâ or "wet-nosed" primates characterized by having a rhinarium. Around 65 million years ago lemur ancestors rafted on drifting vegetation across the Indian Ocean from Mainland Africa to the island of Madagascar. Lemurs responded to these unfamiliar landscapes and their new variety of food sources by evolving into 114 unique species. Madagascar once was home to lemur giants that fulfilled convergent rolls as monkeys, koalas and even ground sloths! The largest subfossil lemur was Archaeoindris fontoynontii, a sloth lemur the size of a male gorilla! Today our largest living lemur is the Indri indri, locally known as the Babakoto.
On July 14, 2020, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species reveals that nearly a third, or 31% of all lemur species in Madagascar are now Critically Endangered. 98% of all described species are threatened with extinction.
Lemurs face many complications, although the primary cause of their decline is habitat loss through slash-and-burn agriculture, illegal logging, charcoal production and mining.
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HOW TO HELP
Find an organization to support!
https://www.lemurconservationnetwor.....-conservation/
Learn more about why lemurs are important!
https://www.lemurconservationnetwor.....rg/why-lemurs/
Buy merchandise!
https://teespring.com/stores/lemur-.....vation-network
https://society6.com/impact_mada
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Recent articles to read:
⢠Grasslands claim their ground in Madagascar
Itâs unlikely Madagascar was formerly covered in forests. Introducing trees where they do not belong causes unnecessary ecological disasters. Grasslands cover most of Madagascarâs land mass, but they are regarded as nothing more than wastelands burned down by humans. When it comes to farming, there's evidence that Malagasy Zebu are maintaining the grasslands health! This is likely because of the disappearance of all of Madagascar's megafauna.
⢠Madagascar introduces stoves that burn rice husks instead of forests
Charcoal is an essential source of fuel on Madagascar, but it's accelerating the destruction of remaining forests. To halt production of charcoal Hetsika Fampiraisana Kristiana ho anâny Firenena (HFKF) launched the ATIALA project (Aza Tapahana Intsony ny Ala) in the capital Antananarivo. With support from the environment ministry, the project introduced a stove that uses rice husks for fuel.
⢠Madagascar minister calls protected areas a âfailure,â seeks people-centric approach
Colonization has devastated indigenous countries, including Madagascar. Itâs crucial to understand that supporting Malagasy people is preserving the lemurs. As a scientist, we have to remember there is no such thing as a "white savior.â Supporting Malagasy researchers could lead to years of new wildlife protection. We must start including Malagasy peoples livelihoods into conservation and stop promoting the racially prejudiced idea of a population genocide.
⢠Madagascar reopens national parks shuttered by COVID-19
COVID-19 is deadly, especially in a country with very poor health care. Unfortunately, the pandemic has been devastating for local economies, which depend on tourism. As the National Parks begin to open, please remember safety guidelines and always wear a mask. Certain species of lemurs (E.g the indri, blue-eyed black lemur and the Coquerelâs sifaka) in Madagascar share a similar enzyme receptor to humans that could make them susceptible to contracting COVID-19. To date, there are no confirmed cases in lemurs. 
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