This ancient giant lemur was the size of a human

16 Jul 2021

This ancient giant lemur was the size of a human

This ancient giant lemur was the size of a humanLemurs are one of the rarest animals on Earth. They look similar to monkeys with a pointed snout, large eyes, and a long tail. Lemurs are found only on the island of Madagascar, near Africa.

While lemurs are quite small today, scientists have found that one of the largest lemurs that ever lived was about the size of an adult human.

They are called koala lemurs (Megaladapis edwardsi). They had long arms, short legs and big feet. Moreover, they could grow as tall as 5 feet (1.5 metres) and weighed about 185 kilograms! They also lived in Madagascar but are extinct now.

Recently, scientists studied the fossil of a koala lemur jawbone that was 1,475 years old. Through this study, they discovered that the koala lemurs were specialised leaf-eaters. Among animals, we find that those who eat only plants tend to be bigger than those with mixed diets.

Learning more about these ancient koala lemurs could help us understand how other giant extinct lemurs evolved.
Watch a video about lemurs:
(Courtesy of National Geographic/Youtube)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjSiq53nJBo

Are you interested in learning about fossils? Fossils are parts of an animal or plant that lived thousands or millions of years ago which has turned into rock. They include bones, shells, exoskeletons, objects preserved in amber, hair, and even oil and coal. The study of fossils is called palaeontology. Studying fossils helps us understand more about life in ancient times and its connection to our world today. Keep reading Curious Times to know what scientists are discovering about Earth's past.

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