Lemur

Lemurs (ⁱ/ˈliːmər/ LEE-mər) are a clade of strepsirrhine primates endemic to the island of Madagascar. The word "lemur" derives from the word lemures (ghosts or spirits) from Roman mythology and was first used to describe a slender loris due to its nocturnal habits and slow pace, but was later applied to the primates on Madagascar. Lemurs are ancestral primates, the anthropoid primates (monkeys, apes, and humans) evolved from them; they share morphological and behavioral traits with basal primates. Lemurs arrived in Madagascar around 62 to 65 million years ago by rafting on mats of vegetation at a time when ocean currents favored oceanic dispersal to the island. Since that time, lemurs have evolved to cope with an extremely seasonal environment and their adaptations give them a level of diversity that rivals that of all other primate groups. Until shortly after humans arrived on the island around 2,000 years ago, there were lemurs as large as a male gorilla. Today, there are nearly 100 species of lemurs, and most of those species have been discovered or promoted to full species status since the 1990s; however, lemur taxonomic classification is controversial and depends on which species concept is used. Even the higher-level taxonomy is disputed, with some experts preferring to place most lemurs within the infraorder Lemuriformes, while others prefer Lemuriformes to contain all living strepsirrhines, placing all lemurs in superfamily Lemuroidea and all lorises and galagos in superfamily Lorisoidea.

Ring-tailed lemur

The ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta) is a large strepsirrhine primate and the most recognized lemur due to its long, black and white ringed tail. It belongs to Lemuridae, one of five lemur families, and is the only member of the Lemur genus. Like all lemurs it is endemic to the island of Madagascar. Known locally in Malagasy as maky ([makʲ], spelled maki in French) or hira, it inhabits gallery forests to spiny scrub in the southern regions of the island. It is omnivorous and the most terrestrial of lemurs. The animal is diurnal, being active exclusively in daylight hours.

The ring-tailed lemur is highly social, living in groups of up to 30 individuals. It is also female dominant, a trait common among lemurs. To keep warm and reaffirm social bonds, groups will huddle together. The ring-tailed lemur will also sunbathe, sitting upright facing its underside, with its thinner white fur towards the sun. Like other lemurs, this species relies strongly on its sense of smell and marks its territory with scent glands. The males perform a unique scent marking behavior called spur marking and will participate in stink fights by impregnating their tail with their scent and wafting it at opponents.

Lemur (disambiguation)

A lemur is a Malagasy primate.

Lemur may also refer to:

Duo

Duo may refer to:

Arts

Computing

Other uses

Duo (novel)

Duo is a 1934 novel by the French writer Colette. The story focuses on a married couple on vacation in southern France, who deal with the fact that the wife has been unfaithful. Roberto Rossellini's 1954 film Journey to Italy is loosely based on the novel, but uncredited due to rights issues.

Reception

Margaret Wallace of The New York Times wrote: "Duo is a small work and very fine. In comparison with Colette's previous novels it gives one- and this is odd, for nothing she has written has ever seemed shallow or immature- an impression of increased depth and maturity. It is altogether a cleaner and harder piece of writing than one has expected from Colette in the past. It is less mannered, ruthlessly stripped of anything decorative or ornamental, even of wit purely for wit's sake."

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References

Duo (Marilyn Crispell and Gerry Hemingway album)

Duo (also referred to as Marilyn Crispell and Gerry Hemingway Duo) is an album by American jazz pianist Marilyn Crispell with drummer Gerry Hemingway, which was recorded in 1989 and released on the Knitting Factory label.

Reception

In his review for AllMusic, Michael G. Nastos states "Crispell truly has transcended the Cecil Taylor approach to make music that is all her own, while Hemingway is marvelous in his ability to shade, contrast, punctuate, and complement everything she does. A match made on earth, speaking to the heavens, and some of the ultimate improvised music made for this genre in the '90s."

Track listing