Crowned Lemur

By Marla Lise

Scientific Name: Eulemur coronatus

If you’ve seen the movie, ‘Madagascar’ – the lemur would be very familiar to you. The Crowned Lemur is found only in the forests at the very northern tip of Madagascar. They usually live in groups of up to 15 individuals. They have an amazing way of moving from one tree to another – using their long tails as balance as they jump from one tree to another, like furry ballerinas.

Crowned Lemurs are active during the day, but have also been known to come out at night. They are vegetarians and feed on fruits, leaves and flowers.

Crowned Lemur. Photo by Rhett A. Butler
The Lemurs come from the same order as you and me! The order of the primates. Can you see some similarities between yourself and the lemur? We have the same types of thumbs – that allow us to hold on to things. Monkeys and apes share this same feature.

Crowned Lemurs can live up to 20 years and give birth to 1 live baby at a time.

Sadly, the Crowned Lemur is listed as Vulnerable in the IUCN Red List for endangered species. In 2004, surveys showed that there were only 10,000 individuals – and since then, many more have disappeared due to people cutting down their forest homes.

Crowned Lemur. Photo by Rhett A. Butler
Next time you throw away a piece of paper or something that comes from a tree – think about the Lemur. Imagine him sitting there lonely on the ground without a tree to jump from. If we reuse, reduce, recycle and try to decrease the amount of forests that are being cut down every year, we might be able to let the Crowned Lemur dance in the forests of Madagascar for a long time.


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