lemur

/ˈlimər/

/ˈlimə/

Other forms: lemurs

A lemur is a small, nocturnal primate that's native to Madagascar. Lemurs are distinctive for their huge, dark eyes and long tails.

There are about 100 different lemur species, some nearly as small as mice and others weighing up to 20 pounds, all of which are native to Madagascar. They're unusual in many ways, from their large eyes and the fact that females are dominant. Lemurs are also believed to be the world's oldest primates. The Latin root of lemur literally means "evil spirits of the dead," a possible reference to their nocturnal nature.

Definitions of lemur

1. noun

   large-eyed arboreal prosimian having foxy faces and long furry tails
   types:

   Lemur catta, Madagascar cat, ring-tailed lemur

   small lemur having its tail barred with black

   Daubentonia madagascariensis, aye-aye

   nocturnal lemur with long bony fingers and rodent-like incisor teeth closely related to the lemurs

   Loris gracilis, slender loris

   slim-bodied lemur of southern India and Sri Lanka

   Nycticebus pygmaeus, Nycticebus tardigradua, slow loris

   stocky lemur of southeastern Asia

   Perodicticus potto, kinkajou, potto

   a kind of lemur

   Arctocebus calabarensis, angwantibo, golden potto

   a kind of lemur

   bush baby, bushbaby, galago

   agile long-tailed nocturnal African lemur with dense woolly fur and large eyes and ears

   Indri brevicaudatus, Indri indri, indri, indris

   large short-tailed lemur of Madagascar having thick silky fur in black and white and fawn

   Avahi laniger, woolly indris

   nocturnal indris with thick grey-brown fur and a long tail

   type of:

   primate

   any placental mammal of the order Primates; has good eyesight and flexible hands and feet