lemur

From Latin lemurēs (“spirits of the dead”). The name was originally given to the red slender loris (then Lemur tardigradus) in 1754 by Carl Linnaeus. According to Linnaeus, the name was selected because of the nocturnal activity and slow movements of the red slender loris. In 1758, Linnaeus added, among others, the ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta) to the genus Lemur. All other species, including the red slender loris, were eventually moved to other genera. In time, the word became the colloquial name for all primates endemic to Madagascar.

fat-tailed lemur. fat-tailed dwarf lemur

Any of the genus Lemur, represented by the ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta).


bushbaby

bushbabies (plural)
bush baby (alternative)

A small, nocturnal, African primate, similar to a lemur.


aye-aye

International Union for Conservation of Nature

From French aye-aye, from Malagasy aiay (also ahay, haihay or hay-hay in dialect), supposedly imitative of the animal's cry. However, this is doubted by Simons and Myers (2001) who note that the animal does not emit such a sound. They suggest a derivation from Malagasy heh heh (“I don't know”), used by the Malagasy people to avoid naming the animal, which they fear.

The other of these aberrant forms is the cheiromys, or aye-aye, which, from the peculiar form of its two lower front teeth, has been ranged with the Rodentia. In the general character, however, it is essentially a lemur; […]

1849, “Order II.—Quadrumana, [from the Latin, quatuor, four, and manus, hand; four-handed.]”, in D[avid] M[eredith] Reese, editor, Elements of Zoology; or, Natural History of Animals. From the Last Edinburgh Edition (Chambers' Educational Course; [no. 6]), 3rd American edition, New York, N.Y.: Published by A[lfred] S[mith] Barnes & Co. No. 51 John Street; Cincinnati, Oh.: H. W. Derby & Co., →OCLC, page 57:

Of the other members of this group, the Aye Aye (Cheiromys), the Tarsier (Tarsius), the Propithecus, the Indri (Lichanotus), and the Cheirogaleus, are desiderata of which we can only hope to become possessed by the future exertions of zoologists who may obtain access to the countries in which they live.

1858, D[avid] W[illiam] Mitchell, Guide to the Gardens of the Zoological Society of London, London: Bradbury and Evans, 11, Bouverie Street, and at the [Zoological] Society [of London]'s Gardens in the Regent's Park, →OCLC, page 41:

Refer the following to their respective orders and families:—anteater, ayeaye, canary, cinchilla, dodo, flamingo, flying fox, giraffe, hornbill, lyre bird, mole, paradise bird, porpoise, swift, walrus.

1864, Edward P[ercival] Wright, “Moderatorships in Experimental and Natural Science[: Zoology]”, in Dublin Examination Papers: Being a Supplement to the University Calendar for the Year 1864, Dublin: Printed at the University Press, Hodges, Smith, & Co., Grafton-Street, booksellers to the University; London: Longman, Green, Longman, Roberts, & Green, →OCLC, page 228:

The true position of that very rare animal the Aye-aye, seems very doubtful, some naturalists placing it in the position which it occupies in this work, and others, such as [Jan] [v]an der Hoeven, considering it to form a link between the monkeys and the rodent animals. […] It is probable that the natural food of the Aye-aye, like that of the preceding animals, is of a mixed character, and that it eats fruit and insects indiscriminately. In captivity it usually fed on boiled rice, which it picked up in minute portions, like Amine in the "Arabian Nights," using, however, its slender fingers in lieu of the celebrated bodkin with which she made her mock meal.

1865, J[ohn] G[eorge] Wood, “Quadrumana; or, The Monkey Tribe”, in The Illustrated Natural History, volume I (Mammalia), London: George Routledge and Sons, Broadway, Ludgate Hill; New York, 129, Grand Street, →OCLC, page 110:

He does look a bit odd, what with those parachute ears and the round, mad, yellow, staring pop-eyes and the oversize forepaws hung so awkwardly close to his chest. He's named the aye-aye, which probably does not improve the image. But he's a lemur, hence a primate and a cousin to man. A resident of Madagascar, he is threatened with extinction; there are no more than 50 aye-ayes in all the world.

1968 May 24, Michael Mok, “The Aye-Aye, Man’s Imperiled Cousin”, in George P. Hunt, editor, Life, volume 64, number 21, Chicago, Ill.: Time, Inc., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 102, column 1:

The lemur Daubentonia madagascariensis, a solitary nocturnal quadruped found in Madagascar and remarkable for its long fingers, sharp nails, and rodent-like incisor teeth.


tarsier

From French tarsier, from Latin tarsus, from Ancient Greek ταρσός (tarsós, “wickerwork mat"; "broad, flat surface"”).

der

An insectivorous primate of the family Tarsiidae, having very large eyes and long feet, native mainly to several islands of Southeast Asia.


macaco

macacos (plural)
macacoes (plural)
macauco (alternative)
maucaco (alternative)

From French mococo, probably ultimately from Malagasy maka, maki (“lemur”).
Wikispecies

(obsolete) Any of several species of lemur, including the white-headed lemur, ruffed lemur, and ring-tailed lemur.


ruffed lemur

Ruffed lemurs inhabit the eastern rain forest from the Masoala Peninsula to just south of Ranomafana (see Figure 2).

1999, Phyllis Dolhinow, Agustín Fuentes, The Nonhuman Primates, page 128:

These ruffed lemur groups engage in loud, barking chorus vocalizations that are regarded as alarm calls, as well as catlike, long, wailing howls that are presumably territorial in nature.

2007, Friderun Ankel-Simons, Primate Anatomy: An Introduction, page 63:

Ruffed lemurs (genus Varecia) are the largest and arguably most impressive members of the Lemuridae family.

2014, Daniel Austin, Madagascar Wildlife, page 71:

Any of several nocturnal lemurs of the genus Varecia, from Madagascar that have white ruffs around the face.


ringtail

ringtail (plural)
ringtails (plural)
ring-tail (alternative)

North American ringtail
North American ringtail

Bassariscus astutus
Bassariscus astutus#Translingual

Any of the two extant small nocturnal mammals in the genus Bassariscus, somewhat like raccoons, native to the southwestern United States and Central America.

A North American ringtail, Bassariscus astutus


loris

From French loris, reportedly from obsolete Dutch loeris (“simpleton”).

If the stairs allow such room for thought it’s because Trudy is taking them at the pace of the slowest loris.

2016, Ian McEwan, Nutshell, Vintage, page 135:

Any of several small, slow-moving primates, of the subfamily Lorisinae, found in India and southeast Asia.


potto

From a West African language; compare Akan apɔsɔ.

The forest hangs round them like a theater curtain, mist rising from the water, half-drowned things – jackals, monkeys, pottos, bushpigs – wading along with them, looking dazed and bearish.

1982, TC Boyle, Water Music, Penguin, published 2006, page 147:

A small primate of the genus Perodicticus, native to the tropical rainforests of Africa.


galago

Scientific Latin / translingual Galago (as a genus name), probably from Wolof golo (“monkey”).

From the trees comes the doleful cry of the black-faced dioch, and the weary rustle of galagos creeping back to their nests after a meticulous night's prowl.

1982, TC Boyle, Water Music, Penguin, published 2006, page 146:

Any of several species of small, nocturnal and arboreal African primates, of the family Galagidae, with a catlike head and very large, translucent eyes.


hairy-eared dwarf lemur

en-noun

hairy-eared dwarf lemur (plural hairy-eared dwarf lemurs)


diademed sifaka

diademed sifaka (plural diademed sifakas)

Propithecus diadema, an endangered species of sifaka, one of the lemurs endemic to certain rainforests in eastern Madagascar.


red slender loris

red slender loris (plural red slender lorises)

Loris tardigradus, a species of slender lorises.


Cleese's woolly lemur

Cleese's woolly lemur (plural Cleese's woolly lemurs)

Named after John Cleese, English comedian, who has a fondness for lemurs.


ring-tailed macauco

ring-tailed macauco (plural ring-tailed macaucos)


ring-tailed lemur

ring-tailed lemur (plural ring-tailed lemurs)

A lemur of species Lemur catta, from Madagascar, with a long black-and-white ringed tail.


prosimian

Of or from the prosimian suborder of primates.


softly-softly

(regional, western or central Africa) The potto, Perodicticus potto, a primate in the family Lorisidae.


lemuroid

In M. laniger the canine and most anterior premolar are more equal than in any other Lermuroid, or indeed than in any other Primate except Man.

1832, Zoological society of London, “Mr. St. George Mivart On Microrhynchus.”, in Proceedings of the Zoological society of London (1832), page 155:

Supernumary or vestigal mammae may occur anywhere along the mammary line extinding from axilla to groin. Among lemuroids, however (cf. Shultz 1948), usually one but frequently up to three well-developed mammary pairs are pectoral (including axial), one pair abdominal and one or two pairs inguinal.

1977, Philip Hershkovitz, “4 Some Descriptive, Diagnostic, Quasi-diagnostic, and Primitive Mammalian Characters of Living Primates”, in Living New World monkeys (Platyrrhini) - with an introduction to Primates, volume 1, →ISBN, Mammae, page 18:

At a meeting of the Royal Society held on June 15, 1893, C.I. Forsyth Major descirbed the skull of an extinct Malagasy primate, the first to come to scientific attention (Major, 1894). Since that time, the subfossil remains of some six genera and 12 species of extinct lemuroids have been recovered in Madagascar, many of them represented by quite abundant material.

1987, Russell L. Ciochon, John G. Fleagle, “10 Notes on the Cranial Anatomy of the Subfossil Malagasy Lemurs”, in Primate evolution and human origins, →ISBN, page 72:

A member of the Lemuroidea superfamily of strepsirrhine primates, including lemurs


strepsirrhine

From Strepsirrhini (“a taxon of Primates”), itself formed from Ancient Greek στρέψις (strépsis, “a turning [inward]”) + ῥινός (rhinós, “nose”), referring to the sinuous (comma-shaped) appearance of the nostrils on the rhinarium (wet nose).

uder

(zoology) Any member of the clade Strepsirrhini, one of the two suborders of primates, besides haplorhines (which includes monkeys and apes).


adapiform

Any of a group of extinct primate of the infraorder Adapiformes.


adapoid

Any member of the genus †Adapoides of extinct primates.


needle-clawed bushbaby

en-noun

needle-clawed bushbaby (plural needle-clawed bushbabies)

A primate of one of the two species in the genus Euoticus, which is in the family Galagidae.


greater galago

Any of three species of strepsirrhine primates of the genus Otolemur.


thick-tailed bushbaby

thick-tailed bushbaby (plural thick-tailed bushbabies)

Common name for three species of strepsirrhine primates of the genus Otolemur.


angwantibo

From Ibibio añwa (“cat”) + nte (“like”) + ibọk (“monkey”).

Either of two small primates, of the genus Arctocebus, similar to lemurs.


greater bamboo lemur

greater bamboo lemur (plural greater bamboo lemurs)

Prolemur simus
Prolemur simus#Translingual

A large, greyish brown lemur with white ear tufts, Prolemur simus.


mouse lemur

Any of the nocturnal lemurs of the genera Microcebus native to Madagascar.


galagid

(zoology) Any galago in the family Galagidae.


lemurid

(zoology) Any lemur in the family Lemuridae.


malmag

Perhaps from Boholano Cebuano malmag (“tarsier”) (possibly via French).

(zoology, possibly obsolete) The tarsier; any of several tarsiers found in the Philippines, Malaysia, and adjacent areas.


lemurine

en-adj

lemurine (comparative more lemurine, superlative most lemurine)

more lemurine (comparative)
most lemurine (superlative)


indri

Possibly from Malagasy endrina (“the lemur Indri indri”). A common explanation asserts that the word comes from the Malagasy indry (pronounced /ˈiɳɖʐʲ/) meaning “lo!” or “behold!”, or from indry izy (“There he is!”), which guides shouted to the French naturalist Pierre Sonnerat (1748–1814) upon seeing the animal, and which Sonnerat mistook for its name, but it has been suggested that Sonnerat studied indris too closely for this story to be plausible.

der

Indri, the ſecond new genus, conſiſts at preſent but of two ſpecies, the Linnæan lemur indri and the laniger; the former of which is lemur brevicaudatus of Geoffroy [i.e., Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire]; and the latter indri longicaudatus of the ſame author.

1819, “LEMUR”, in Abraham Rees, editor, The Cyclopædia; or, Universal Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, and Literature. [...] In Thirty-nine Volumes, volume XX, London: Printed for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, & Brown, […], →OCLC, column 2:

The indris are distuinguished by having only thirty teeth. [...] The Indri (Indris laniger) is the largest known species of the lemurine Quadrumana, measuring when erect more than three feet in height, and is of very remarkable form. [...] The indris inhabit the forests of Madagascar. They are very gentle, and although not remarkable for intelligence, are trained by the natives (who call the indri, "the man of the woods"), to hunt, probably for birds.

[1873], Thomas Rymer Jones, “Order II. Quadrumana. Four-handed Mammals.”, in Mammalia: A Popular Introduction to Natural History, London: Frederick Warne and Co., […]; New York, N.Y.: Scribner, Welford, and Armstrong, →OCLC, family IV (Lemuridæ. The Lemurs.), sub-family IV (Lichanotinæ. The Indris.), page 61:

The Indri (Indri indri; top left), the largest prosimian at up to three feet long (excluding tail) and 22 pounds, eats plant matter.

1993, Jan Sovak, Zoo Animals Coloring Book (Dover Pictorial Archive Series), New York, N.Y.: Dover Publications, →ISBN, page 20:

The indri inhabits coastal and montane rainforest from sea level to about 1,800 meters.

1999, Ernest Pillsbury Walker, Ronald M. Nowak, “Avahi, Sifakas, and Indri: Indriiae”, in Walker’s Primates of the World, Baltimore, Md.: Johns Hopkins University Press, →ISBN, page 84, column 2:

Indris are known for their calls, some of which are truly eerie and can be heard for miles in the dense undergrowth.

2011, William Powell, Ochan Kusuma-Powell, “Knowing Our Collegial Relations”, in How to Teach Now: Five Keys to Personalized Learning in the Global Classroom, Alexandria, Va.: ASCD, →ISBN, page 134:

One of the largest living lemurs (Indri indri), native to Madagascar.


adapid

(zoology) Any extinct primate of the family Adapidae


archaeolemurid

(zoology) Any of the extinct lemurs in the family Archaeolemuridae.


cheirogaleid

(zoology) Any lemur in the family Cheirogaleidae.


daubentoniid

(zoology) Any lemur in the family Daubentoniidae, of which the only living species is the aye-aye.


galagonid

(zoology) Any galago in the family Galagonidae.


indriid

(zoology) Any lemur in the family Indriidae.


lepilemurid

(zoology) Any lemur in the family Lepilemuridae.


lorisid

(zoology) Any primate in the family Lorisidae; a loris or potto.


megaladapid

(zoology) Any extinct lemur in the family Megaladapidae.


Philippine tarsier

en-noun

Philippine tarsier (plural Philippine tarsiers)

Carlito syrichta
Carlito syrichta#Translingual

A very small tarsier, Carlito syrichta, native to much of the southern Philippines.


notharctid

(zoology) Any extinct prosimian in the family †Notharctidae.


palaeopropithecid

(zoology) Any extinct lemur in the family Palaeopropithecidae.


northern greater galago

northern greater galago (plural northern greater galagos)

Otolemur garnettii (Northern Greater Galago), from eastern Africa, is similar to O. crassicaudatus but is rather smaller, shorter-eared, more greyish-toned and has a face that is not pale.

2005, Colin Groves, “Chapter 1: The Taxonomy of Primates in the Laboratory Context”, in Sonia Wolfe-Coote, editor, The Laboratory Primate, page 7:

Most species^([of bushbabies]) are arboreal but the Northern Greater Galago, Otolemur garnettii, and the Brown Greater Galago, O. crassicaudatus, also spend time on the ground.

2012, Terence J Dawson, Kangaroos, page 8:

A comparison of these two duplications was performed in 13 primate species including six species of apes, four Old World monkey species, two New World monkey species, and one species of strepsirhine, the northern greater galago (Otolemur garnettii).

2013, Benjamin J. Ragen, Karen L. Bales, “16: Oxytocin and vasopressin in non-human primates”, in Elena Choleris, Donald W. Pfaff, Martin Kavaliers, editors, Oxytocin, Vasopressin and Related Peptides in the Regulation of Behavior, page 299:

Otolemur garnettii
Otolemur garnettii#Translingual

Otolemur garnettii, a nocturnal, arboreal primate endemic to eastern Africa.


sivaladapid

(zoology) Any prosimian in the family Sivaladapidae.


tarsiid

(zoology) Any primate in the family Tarsiidae.


fat-tailed dwarf lemur

fat-tailed dwarf lemur (plural fat-tailed dwarf lemurs)

Cheirogaleus medius, one of the smallest primates, native to Madagascar, the only primate known to truly hibernate, which it does during Madagascar's dry season.


sifaka

Sifakas have single births, and infants ride first on their mother's front until they are about 3 months of age, then move to the mother's back, and they usually become totally independent at an age of about 6 months (Jolly 1996).

2000, Friderun Ankel-Simons, Primate Anatomy: An Introduction, 2nd edition, Academic Press, page 62:

Coquerel's sifaka (P. coquereli) is easily seen in the northwestern regions. Its chestnut-coloured arms and thighs, and piercing yellow eyes, make it particularly handsome. Like all sifakas, the young are born in June and July.

2008, Nick Garbutt, Hilary Bradt, Derek Schuurman, Madagascar Wildlife, Bradt Travel Guides, page 53:

Sifakas can jump about ten metres (thirty-three feet) – a little further than the human long-jump world record – which is not bad given that they are less than two foot high.

2012, Caspar Henderson, The Book of Barely Imagined Beings, Granta Books, published 2013, page 258:

Any of several endangered medium-sized lemurs that comprise genus Propithecus.

冕狐猴

medium-sized lemur of the genus Propithecus


babakoto

babakotos (plural)
babacoote (alternative)

A kind of large lemur, the indri (Indri indri).


anaptomorphine

Any prehistoric primate the subfamily Anaptomorphinae


slow loris

Any of several species of strepsirrhine primates which make up the genus Nycticebus, with a round head, narrow snout, large eyes, and a toxic bite.


kukang

Of the genus Loris are two species, the Kukang or Lemur tardigradus, and the Nycticebus Javanicus, the latter of which however I have not seen.

1838, The Madras Journal of Literature and Science, volume 7, page 69:

[…] leaving the poor fellow to make his way unarmed down to the sea, where he ran upon a pair of half-starved kukangs, a vicious species of Malay chimpanzee, in fleeing from which he fell over the cliff and was dashed to pieces.

(archaic) Nycticebus coucang, the Sunda slow loris.


nagapie

From Afrikaans nagapie (literally “night monkey”).


mohol bushbaby

en-noun

mohol bushbaby (plural mohol bushbabies)


slender loris

Any of the genus Loris of lorises native to India and Sri Lanka.


sportive lemur

(zoology) Any of the lemurs in the genus Lepilemur.


giant mouse lemur

giant mouse lemur (plural giant mouse lemurs)

They are considerably larger than other mouse lemurs.

Any of the strepsirrhine primates of genus Mirza.


koala lemur

The extinct koala lemurs (Megaladapis) were much larger than their extant relatives, the nocturnal sportive lemurs (Lepilemur), but they resembled the latter in diet (leaves) and commitment to life in the trees.

2005, Mcgraw-Hill Yearbook of Science & Technology 2005, page 188:

The koala lemurs are much larger than the sportive lemurs (Lepilemuridae) and the Lemuridae, both of which have been considered their sister clades. Koala lemurs resembled sportive lemurs in their dental morphology and diet of leaves.

2006, Laurie R. Godfrey, William L. Jungers, Gary T. Schwarz, “Chapter Three: Ecology and Extinction of Madagascar's Subfossil Lemurs”, in Lisa Gould, M. L. Sauther, editors, Lemurs: Ecology and Adaptation, page 43:

As primary folivores, it seems highly unlikely that the koala lemurs were major players in seed dispersal.

2007, L. R. Godfrey et al., “Ghosts and Orphans”, in John G Fleagle, Christopher C. Gilbert, editors, Elwyn Simons: A Search for Origins, page 373:

Any of three extinct species of lemur of †Megaladapis, the sole genus of the family †Megaladapidae, which were endemic to Madagascar until circa 1280–1420 CE.


lorisoid

Any loris or galago of the superfamily Lorisoidea


tarsioid

Among the short-lived northerners were Metacheiromys, whose South American cousins survive today in the order of armadillos, anteaters and sloths, and the early primates — lemurs like Notharctus and tarsioids like Tetonius.

1953 October 19, Lincoln Barnett, “The Age of Mammals”, in LIFE, page 95:

The living Tarsius, of Southeast Asia, is a lone leftover of a once diverse group of small primates, the tarsioids, which flourished during the Eocene in Europe, Asia, and North America.

1989, Pat Vickers Rich, Thomas H. V. Rich, Mildred Adams Fenton, Carroll Lane Fenton, The Fossil Book: A Record of Prehistoric Life, Revised edition, page 553:

1991, Hominidae, entry in Joan C. Stevenson, Dictionary of Concepts in Physical Anthropology, page 201,
Cope derived anthropoids from an extinct fossil tarsioid; he suggested that apes and humans evolved from a prosimian and skipped the monkey stage. Hubrecht noted that tarsioids were different from lemurs and more like higher primates (monkeys, apes, and humans).

A tarsier or extinct relative; any member of the infraorder Tarsiiformes


Bemaraha woolly lemur

Bemaraha woolly lemur (plural Bemaraha woolly lemurs)

“I’m absurdly fond of the little creatures,” said Cleese, who made a documentary about lemurs in Madagascar in 1998, and now lives on there in name at least in the Bemaraha woolly lemur (Avahi cleesei).

A species of lemur, Avahi cleesei, native to western Madagascar.


black-and-white ruffed lemur

black-and-white ruffed lemur (plural black-and-white ruffed lemurs)

Rustling branches and a canopy cacophony – part howl, part screech, part snigger – proclaim the presence of black-and-white ruffed lemurs as visitors enter Ivoloina zoological park in eastern Madagascar.

2018 February 24, Jonathan Watts, The Guardian:

A species of ruffed lemur, Varecia variegata, endemic to Madagascar.


Groves' dwarf lemur

Groves' dwarf lemur (plural Groves' dwarf lemurs)

The latest discovery – the Groves’ dwarf lemur from the south of the island – was only confirmed last month, but it may well follow rapidly on to the red list of threatened species.

A species of lemur, Cheirogaleus grovesi, first formally described in 2017.


caenopithecine

Any extinct primate of the subfamily Caenopithecinae


cercamoniine

Any extinct primate of the subfamily Cercamoniinae


asiadapine

clipping

translingual <i class="Latn mention" lang="mul">Asiadapinae</i>

Any extinct primate of the subfamily Asiadapinae


notharctine

Any extinct primate of the subfamily Notharctinae


Madame Berthe's mouse lemur

en-noun

Madame Berthe's mouse lemur (plural Madame Berthe's mouse lemurs)

Named after the conservationist and primatologist Berthe Rakotosamimanana, of Madagascar.

A small mouse lemur (Microcebus berthae)

Berthe Rakotosamimanana
Madame Berthe's mouse lemur


woolly lemur

Any member of nine species of strepsirrhine primates in the genus Avahi.


Horsfield's tarsier

Horsfield's tarsier (plural Horsfield's tarsiers)


bamboo lemur

Any of the lemurs of the genus Hapalemur.


dwarf lemur

Any of the lemurs of the genus Cheirogaleus.


black lemur

Eulemur macaco, a medium-sized lemur that has black, long, tufted ears and thick fur, and is native to Madagascar.


fork-marked lemur

fork-marked lemur (plural fork-marked lemurs)