Wonder what it's like to track these peculiar primates through Madagascar’s steep, leech-filled rainforests? Former Audubon photo editor Kim Hubbard spent two weeks volunteering on a lemur project with Earthwatch. It uses its long tongue to slurp up nectar, and its specialized teeth for scraping tree gum. Like the four described species of the genus Phaner, this fork-marked lemur bears a black, Y-shaped line on its head, has large hands and feet for gripping trees, and emits a loud, high-pitched call at night. 'It is particularly remarkable that we continue to find new species of lemurs and many other plants and animals in this heavily impacted country, which has already lost 90 percent or more of its original vegetation.'īecause its range is restricted, it will probably be declared endangered or critically endangered, according to Conservation International. Island of Madagascar, the world's highest priority biodiversity hotspot and one of the most extraordinary places in our planet,' Mittermeier said in a press release. 'This is yet another remarkable discovery from theĭairana, Madagascar. With no natural predators, they evolved into different species.) (Scientists believe the big-eyed primates inadvertently hitched a ride to the island on rafts of vegetation. Lemurs live only in Madagascar, and the island is home to some 100 species-42 of which, incredibly, have been discovered in the last decade. The lemur hasn’t officially been formally described as a new species yet, but it has plenty of company. Photo: Conservation International/Russell A. They then released it back into the wild. He returned this past October, leading an expedition of scientists and a BBC film crew, to track down one of the animals, take blood samples for genetic testing to determine if it is a new species, and insert a microchip to identify and monitor it. He noticed its coloring was different from other fork-marked lemurs and suspected it might be a new species. Primate expert and Conservation International president Russ Mittermeier had first spotted the squirrel-sized primate in 1995.

They waited for a clear shot of the male fork-marked lemur, then took it down-with a tranquilizer gun. The creature moved quickly through the treetops, and they had to run after it along the slippery forest floor until they eventually caught site of its glowing eyes reflecting the light from a flashlight. Just after sunset the team set out in search of their quarry, following its ghostly calls through the dense forest of Daraina, a protected area in the northeast of Madagascar.

The big-eyed, squirrel-sized, nectar-eating (not to mention cute) primate is nocturnal and boasts a distinctive Y-shaped mark on its face.

Scientists have discovered a new, probably endangered, species of lemur in Madagascar.

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