Lemurs

Lemurs Temporal range: Pleistocene–Present PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
A sample of lemur diversity; 8 of 15 biological genera are depicted (from top, left to right): Lemur, Propithecus, Daubentonia, †Archaeoindris, Microcebus, Lepilemur, Eulemur, Varecia.
Conservation status
CITES Appendix I (CITES)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Primates
Suborder:	Strepsirrhini
Infraorder:	Lemuriformes
Superfamily:	Lemuroidea Gray 1821
Families
†Archaeolemuridae Cheirogaleidae Daubentoniidae Indriidae Lemuridae Lepilemuridae †Megaladapidae †Palaeopropithecidae
Diversity
About 100 living species
Range of all lemur species

Lemurs (ⁱ/ˈliːmər/ LEE-mər) are a clade of strepsirrhine primates endemic to the island of Madagascar. The word "lemur" derives from the word lemures (ghosts or spirits) from Roman mythology and was first used to describe a slender loris due to its nocturnal habits and slow pace, but was later applied to the primates on Madagascar. As with other strepsirrhine primates, such as lorises, pottos, and galagos (bush babies), lemurs share resemblance with basal primates. In this regard, lemurs are often confused with ancestral primates, when in actuality, lemurs did not give rise to monkeys and apes, but evolved independently.