New research is cutting male mammals down to size. While we may think of hulking elephant seal bulls or huge stags, these males appear to be the exception, rather than the rule. A new analysis of more than 400 species suggests that there are more mammals where the females are actually the same size as, […]
Tag: Lemurs
Petition: Demand Authorities Investigate Exotic Animal Dealer’s Network
Authorities with the U.S. government recently discovered that an exotic animal dealer in the state of Michigan was violating the Endangered Species Act – trying to sell approximately 150 vulnerable, threatened, and endangered animals off to the public for thousands of dollars. Sign the petition to demand justice! In one case, the man attempted to […]
Alarm as 2,500 private owners keep elephants, tigers and lemurs as pets
Imagine living next door to a tiger, puma or crocodile, or a lemur, mountain lion, honey badger or ostrich. Strange as it may sound, there are at least 2,500 wild animals in private collections in England, including snakes and scorpions, 300 wild cats, more than 200 primates – and even two elephants. As exotic pet […]
Interesting Animals to Watch at the Zoo
Have you ever visited a zoo only to find that all the animals are sleeping or inside their shelters? Visiting early in the morning is a good way to help ensure the animals are active and awake, but nothing will guarantee active animals. However, no matter when you visit or what the weather is like, […]
Climate Crisis and Deforestation Are Bringing Tree-Dwelling Primates Down to Earth
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance postdoctoral associate Timothy Eppley, Ph.D., was observing southern bamboo lemurs in Madagascar when he noticed something odd. Usually, these lemurs spend their entire lives in the trees. But in places where their forest habitat had been thinned by human activity, the primates would risk descending to the ground to search […]
World’s smallest primate is fading into extinction, scientists fear
The world’s tiniest primate, the Madame Berthe’s mouse lemur (Microcebus berthae), a creature small enough to curl inside a human fist, could soon disappear as the human imprint on its forest habitat grows. Since 2018, surveyors deployed at the lemur’s preferred habitat in Madagascar’s western dry forests have failed to spot the animal, stoking fears […]
Lemurs and giant tortoises among species at risk if global heating hits 3C
Unique island species including lemurs and the Galapagos giant tortoise could be at high risk of extinction if the planet warms by more than 3C above pre-industrial levels, new research warns. Analysis of 270 biodiversity hotspots suggests almost half of endemic marine species and 84% of endemic mountain species will face extinction if the planet […]
Slash-and-burn farming eats away at a Madagascar haven for endangered lemurs, frogs
Deforestation is so rampant throughout Madagascar, an island far larger than California, that it’s easy to forget the impact of tree clearance in any one specific area of the country — the lemurs that lose their habitats, the orchids that no longer bloom, the people whose land becomes barren. But recent activity in the Ankeniheny-Zahamena […]