Made in Madagascar

They’re cute -- although a few species look intrinsically repulsive -- and if you want to see one in its natural habitat you have to go to the western Indian Ocean. Lemurs dwell only on the island nation of Madagascar and the nearby Comoro Islands. I got to “meet” them while researching Southeast Africa, part of the “Exploration of Africa” series published several years ago by Chelsea House. The long-tailed, tree-hopping, monkey-ish creatures, like so many around the world, have been losing their habitat in recent decades to tree cutters.

I especially like them (from a distance) probably because they’re so weird and diverse (and, for the most part, cute). The indri grows more than two feet tall and weighs perhaps 20 pounds; the dwarf lemur is about the size of a squirrel; the adult pygmy mouse lemur is just eight inches long, tail and all, and tips the scales at about one ounce! Some species eat only flowers and leaves; some also eat insects, birds, frogs. Their personal hygiene leaves a bit to be desired; we shan’t go into that. Although the word lemures in Latin means “nocturnal spirits,” certain types of lemur are diurnal rather than nocturnal. Scientists speculate that the reason lemurs survived into modern times, unlike many small animals from prehistory, is because the larger predators common on the African continent don’t exist on the offshore islands. They "escaped to a secluded island," quite literally!

Incidentally, more than half the world’s species of chameleons also call Madagascar home. It's a very interesting place. You should read some of the chronicles of Charles F. Swingle, who explored Madagascar's croc-infested rivers in an overloaded, shallow-draft boat during the 1920s.