In my last Lemur post I talked about the history of Lemurs, this blog will help you understand the differences between lemurs and the primates that we are more familiar with. When you hear the word primate- you probably think of a chimpanzee and the various species of monkey you’ve seen at zoos. Primates also include the great apes- orangutans, gorillas, gibbons, and humans as well as lemurs, lorises, bushbabies, and tarsiers. Traditionally primates are divided into two groups- ProsimiansRead more
Posts tagged: #prosimians
History of the Lemur
Often times while I’m training the Ring Tailed Lemurs I over hear visitor’s comments. “Oh look- she’s feeding the…. Raccoons? Monkeys? What is that animal?” At the end of each session I ask, any guests that managed to stay interested long enough, if they have any questions. Typically by this point they have read all the exhibit signs and know that the cute little animals with looooong tails are Lemurs. But what is a Lemur? The word Lemur-which meansRead more
Second Smallest Primate in the World
Last week at the Lemur -Meet the Keeper program, I meet two grandparents who told me all about the second smallest primate in the world and I wanted to share this adorable creature with you all. The Bohol Tarsier, who lives in the Philippines, belongs to the primate sub-order Prosimian- making them a close relative to the Lemurs here at the museum. They are obviously tiny little animals- no more than 5 inches long and 142 grams. (the smallest primate in the world is theRead more