What better place to ring in World Lemur Day than Madagascar? The island, about the size of Texas off the coast of southeastern Africa, is the native home to lemurs. Today you"ll find over 100 species and subspecies of the critters here. Most are small, with a pointed nose, large eyes, and a tail. They mainly live in trees and can be highly social, like the ring-tailed lemurs on our homepage, or live a solo existence like the elusive aye-aye. Lemurs have opposable thumbs and five fingers with fingernails on each hand, characteristics that help secure their spot as members of the primate order of mammals. About 65 million years ago, scientists believe, lemurs drifted on rafts of vegetation from the African continent to the shores of Madagascar. Safe from competition and most predators, lemurs evolved into many highly specialized varieties and now can be found in almost all habitats on the island.
The lemurs of Madagascar
More Desktop Wallpapers:
-
And they’re off!
-
Wandering Watkins Glen
-
In the Supertree Grove
-
A horse of many colors
-
Happy 300th, NOLA!
-
The migrating monarchs of Michoacán
-
A hero for the 21st century
-
Big-wave hunters watch Nazaré
-
Zion National Park Turns 100
-
Atop the Needle of Chamonix
-
Le Beaujolais nouveau est arrivé!
-
Visiting Ahch-To on Star Wars Day
-
Lighting it up for Vivid Sydney
-
The Sky Over Nine Columns in Venice, Italy
-
Guiding ships to safety
-
The Battle of the Bulge 75 years later
-
Eastern grey kangaroos in Australia’s Kosciuszko National Park
-
Wheels up in Beijing
-
From garden to table?
-
A sizzling summit hides in the clouds