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Ranging in size from the 30 g (1.1 oz) Madame Berthe's mouse lemur, the world's smallest primate, [48] to the extinct 160–200 kg (350–440 lb) Archaeoindris fontoynonti, [49] lemurs evolved diverse forms of locomotion, varying levels of social complexity, and unique adaptations to the local climate.
Archaeoindris fontoynontii is an extinct giant lemur and the largest primate known to have evolved on Madagascar, comparable in size to a male gorilla.It belonged to a family of extinct lemurs known as "sloth lemurs" (Palaeopropithecidae) and, because of its extremely large size, it has been compared to the ground sloths that once roamed North and South America.
The eyes of the ring-tailed lemur contain one cone to five rods. Nocturnal lemurs such as mouse lemurs and dwarf lemurs, on the other hand, have retinas made up entirely of rod cells. [16] Since cone cells make color vision possible, the high prevalence of rod cells in lemur eyes suggest they have not evolved color vision. [16]
They range in size from the Margot Marsh's mouse lemur, at 8 cm (3 in) plus a 11 cm (4 in) tail, to the indri, at 90 cm (35 in) plus a 6 cm (2 in) tail. Lemuroids primarily eat fruit, leaves, and insects.
The aye-aye, mouse lemurs, woolly lemurs, and sportive lemurs are nocturnal, while ring-tailed lemurs and most of their kin, sifakas, and indri are diurnal. [80] Yet some or all of the brown lemurs ( Eulemur ) are cathemeral , which means that they may be active during the day or night, depending on factors such as temperature and predation ...
In the large-eyed tarsiers, the weight of the brain is about the same as that of a single eye. [13] Prosimians generally show lower cognitive ability and live in simpler social settings than the simians. The prosimians with the most complex social systems are the diurnal lemurs, which may live in social groups of 20 individuals.
Unlike most other lemurs, all but one species of lemurid (the ring-tailed lemur) lack a tapetum lucidum, [7] a reflective layer in the eye that improves night vision. Historically among mammals, activity cycles are either strictly diurnal or nocturnal, however, these can widely vary across species.
There are just two living species of colugos: the Sunda flying lemur (Galeopterus variegatus) and the Philippine flying lemur (Cynocephalus volans). These two species make up the entire family Cynocephalidae ( / ˌ s aɪ n oʊ ˌ s ɛ f ə ˈ l aɪ d i , - ˌ k ɛ -/ ) [ 5 ] and order Dermoptera [ 1 ] [ 6 ] (from Ancient Greek δέρμα ...