Lemurs - Facts for Kids

Diet & Feeding

Different lemur types eat different foods — some prefer fruits, others love leaves, and some even eat insects!

Bamboo lemurs eat almost nothing but bamboo and can munch through 500 grams of bamboo every day!

Ring-tailed lemurs eat over 50 different types of plants throughout the year!

The aye-aye lemur uses its special long finger to tap on trees and listen for hollow spots where grubs (insect babies) might be hiding!

Some lemurs help pollinate (spread pollen to help plants make seeds) flowers while they’re feeding on nectar, just like bees do!

Lemurs can eat fruits that would make other animals sick because their stomachs have special bacteria (tiny helpful living things) to help digest them!

Most lemurs feed early in the morning and again in the late afternoon when it’s not too hot!

Some lemur types can eat tough leaves that other animals can’t digest (break down in their stomach) because they have special bacteria in their gut!

Ring-tailed lemurs spend about one-quarter of their day looking for and eating food.

During the dry season, lemurs might travel over a mile each day searching for food!

Conservation & Population

Over 9 out of 10 kinds of lemur are threatened with extinction (disappearing forever), making them one of the most endangered groups of mammals in the world!

The biggest threats to lemurs are habitat loss (losing their homes) from farming and illegal hunting!

Madagascar has lost a huge amount of its forests — probably around half or more — but most wild forests are now gone, and only a small part is truly protected.

There are special protected areas in Madagascar called national parks where lemurs and other wildlife are safe from hunting!

Some lemur types have fewer than 100 individuals (animals) left in the wild!

Conservation (protection) programs have helped some lemur populations grow — the greater bamboo lemur increased from 100 to over 1,000 individuals in just 20 years!

Planting trees in Madagascar helps create new homes for lemurs and other wildlife!

Scientists are discovering new lemur types every few years — showing there’s still much to learn about these amazing animals!

Fun and Unique Facts

Diademed sifakas can leap over 30 feet (9 meters) between trees in a single jump — that’s longer than a school bus!

The blue-eyed black lemur is one of the only primates (monkey-like animals) besides humans to have blue eyes!

Some lemurs use “lemur latrines” — special bathroom spots that the whole troop shares!

The fat-tailed dwarf lemur stores extra food energy in its tail during the rainy season, making its tail grow up to twice its normal size!

Mouse lemurs can lower their body temperature and heart rate to save energy during Madagascar’s dry season!

Some lemur types sleep in family groups, huddling together in “lemur balls” to stay warm!

The golden bamboo lemur can eat 12 times the amount of cyanide (a deadly poison) that would be deadly to other mammals!

Black-and-white ruffed lemurs are the only primates (monkey-like animals) that build nests for their babies, similar to birds!

Red-bellied lemurs form lifelong pairs and stay with the same partner their whole lives!

Greater bamboo lemurs have special teeth that can crack through thick bamboo stems as hard as some metals!

Ring-tailed lemurs do a special sideways shuffle called “stink fighting” where they rub their tails with scent and wave them at each other!

The indri lemur makes loud calls that can be heard up to 2 kilometers away — that’s farther than a mile!

Mongoose lemurs change their sleep schedule with the seasons — they’re active during the day in cool weather and at night in hot weather!

The aye-aye lemur’s ears can move independently (separately) like a cat’s to better locate (find) insects inside tree trunks!

Some lemur types have a special second tongue, called the sublingua, under their main tongue to clean their tooth comb!

Ring-tailed lemurs hold their distinctive (special) tails in a question mark shape when walking on the ground!

The silky sifaka is so rare that there are fewer of them left than giant pandas!

Mouse lemurs can put on so much weight before the dry season that they look like tiny tennis balls with tails!

Lemurs use their sense of smell so much that they have a better sense of smell than most other primates (monkey-like animals)!

The aye-aye’s special middle finger has a ball-and-socket joint, like our shoulder joint!

Ring-tailed lemurs use their tails as signals — holding them high means “follow me”!

Some lemurs can enter a state of torpor (deep sleep) where their heart rate drops to just 4 beats per minute!

The fork-marked lemur has unique fork-shaped markings on its head that look like a tiny road map!

Some lemur types can jump straight up from a standing position to grab fruit nearly 8 feet (2.44 meters) above them!

Lemurs in zoos often get frozen fruit popsicles as treats during hot weather!

Some lemur types have special wrist glands (smell-making parts) that produce a strong-smelling liquid used for marking territory!

The gray mouse lemur can store up to 35% of its body weight as fat before the dry season!

Red-fronted lemurs sometimes babysit each other’s babies, like having a lemur daycare!

The hairy-eared dwarf lemur has such long ear hair that it completely covers its ears!

Some lemur types can hang upside down by their feet while eating fruit!

The red-bellied lemur father carries his babies more often than the mother does!

Dwarf lemurs are the only primates (monkey-like animals) that hibernate (sleep deeply) for months during certain times of the year!