It's fairly dangerous to handle, so be careful.
Posted on 08/11/2005 2:53:55 AM PDT by Our_Man_In_Gough_Island
Two new species of lemur have been found in Madagascar, bringing the number of known species to 49. German and Malagasy scientists made the discovery by analysing the genetic make-up of wild lemurs.
Lemurs are considered the most endangered of all primates and live only on Madagascar which has evolved in isolation for 165 million years.
As a result, the island is now home to mammals, birds and plants that exist nowhere else on our planet.
The first new species is a giant mouse lemur known as Mirza zaza. It has a long bushy tail and is about the size of a grey squirrel.
Until now, scientists believed only one type of giant mouse lemur existed, split into two populations in the west and the north of the island.
But morphological, genetic and behavioural data shows they are in fact distinct species which diverged about two million years ago.
Mouse lemur
The second newly discovered species is a type of mouse lemur, of which nine species are now known.
LEMURS Lemurs are the closest living analogs to our ancient primate ancestors who lived about 55 million years ago One-third of species are extinct Remaining species are under threat from hunting and habitat destruction
Microcebus lehilahytsara, or Goodman's mouse lemur, lives in eastern Madagascar's rainforest. It is little bigger than a mouse, with short, rounded ears and a white stripe on its nose.
"It is simply remarkable that M. lehilahytsara was obtained at Andasibe, a protected area of forest that is considered one of the best known sites on the island and is the most heavily visited by ecotourists," said Steve Goodman, a scientist with WWF and The Field Museum in Chicago, after whom the lemur is named.
"The fact that such an area holds a primate previously unknown to science underscores how much still needs to be done to document the biota of this extraordinary island."
The findings by scientists at the German Primate Centre (DPZ) and the University of Göttingen are described in the current issue of the journal Primate Report.
It's all George W. Bush's fault. We're doooooooomed.
Life just keeps getting better and better thanks to George Bush. /Sarc.
I think about 10 of them were in Sean Vanity's radio studio on Tuesday afternoon.
Ping
That's good. I was getting so sick of the old lemurs.
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Yeah, boy...
Mouse-lemur skull w/o mouse.
Mouse-lemur skull with mouse.
CAT scan of Mouse-lemur skull. (Which just goes to show you can find darn near anything on Google!)
Way too early! LOL
Look at the eye sockets on that skull. No wonder their common name comes from the Latin word for " ghost".
Maybe I'm cynical or jaded or something, but this news seems too well timed with the upcoming DVD release. Hmmm, plans for a sequel???
Did one of them have a fancy crown on his head?
Awwwww. It's cute. Nature will find a way...
I think I'm going to have to stay home from work today.
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But morphological, genetic and behavioural data shows they are in fact distinct species which diverged about two million years ago.
2 million (insert maniacal laugh here) years of evolution, and it takes a genetic study to confirm that we have 2 slightly different species of lemur. But a few weeks ago we were treated to elephants 'evolving' towards tuskless in a matter of a couple dozen years. Hmmmmm...
I hope the Foousa dosen't eat them first. I like to Move it, Move it!!
New is relative........
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