Cleese's Woolly Lemur
Encyclopedia
The Bemaraha woolly lemur (Avahi cleesei), also known as Cleese's woolly lemur, is a species
of woolly lemur
native to western Madagascar
, named after John Cleese
. The scientist who discovered the species named it after Cleese, star of Monty Python
, mainly because of Cleese's fondness for lemur
s, as shown in Operation Lemur With John Cleese and Fierce Creatures
, and his efforts at protecting and preserving them. The species was first discovered in 1990 by a team of scientists from Zurich University led by Urs Thalmann, but wasn't formally described as a species until November 11, 2005.
The diurnal
animal weighs about 5–6 kg (11–13.2 lb), has brown skin with white regions on the rear and inside of the thighs and has a short damp nose, large plate eyes, and ears which hardly stand out from the skin. It typically has a strictly vegetarian diet of leaves and buds, living together in small families. The local population calls the species dadintsifaky, which means "Grandfather of the Sifaka
", because it is similarly sized to sifakas, but more ponderous, heavyset and has ample greyish-brown fur.
The habitat is limited to the Tsingy de Bemaraha Strict Nature Reserve
in western Madagascar, which is a UNESCO
World Heritage Site
. The animal is probably threatened with becoming extinct in the long run, since the size of the population is unknown so far and its habitat
shrinks continuously.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of woolly lemur
Woolly lemur
The woolly lemurs, also known as avahis or woolly indris, are nine species of strepsirrhine primates. Like all other lemurs, they live only on the island of Madagascar....
native to western Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
, named after John Cleese
John Cleese
John Marwood Cleese is an English actor, comedian, writer, and film producer. He achieved success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and as a scriptwriter and performer on The Frost Report...
. The scientist who discovered the species named it after Cleese, star of Monty Python
Monty Python
Monty Python was a British surreal comedy group who created their influential Monty Python's Flying Circus, a British television comedy sketch show that first aired on the BBC on 5 October 1969. Forty-five episodes were made over four series...
, mainly because of Cleese's fondness for lemur
Lemur
Lemurs are a clade of strepsirrhine primates endemic to the island of Madagascar. They are named after the lemures of Roman mythology due to the ghostly vocalizations, reflective eyes, and the nocturnal habits of some species...
s, as shown in Operation Lemur With John Cleese and Fierce Creatures
Fierce Creatures
Fierce Creatures is a 1997 comedy film. Although not a sequel, it was a follow-up to the wildly popular A Fish Called Wanda, starring the same four actors, John Cleese, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline and Michael Palin...
, and his efforts at protecting and preserving them. The species was first discovered in 1990 by a team of scientists from Zurich University led by Urs Thalmann, but wasn't formally described as a species until November 11, 2005.
The diurnal
Diurnal animal
Diurnality is a plant or animal behavior characterized by activity during the day and sleeping at night.-In animals:Animals that are not diurnal might be nocturnal or crepuscular . Many animal species are diurnal, including many mammals, insects, reptiles and birds...
animal weighs about 5–6 kg (11–13.2 lb), has brown skin with white regions on the rear and inside of the thighs and has a short damp nose, large plate eyes, and ears which hardly stand out from the skin. It typically has a strictly vegetarian diet of leaves and buds, living together in small families. The local population calls the species dadintsifaky, which means "Grandfather of the Sifaka
Sifaka
Sifakas are a genus of lemur from the family Indriidae within the order Primates. Their name of the family is an onomatopoeia of their characteristic "shi-fak" alarm call. Like all lemurs, they are found only on the island of Madagascar...
", because it is similarly sized to sifakas, but more ponderous, heavyset and has ample greyish-brown fur.
The habitat is limited to the Tsingy de Bemaraha Strict Nature Reserve
Tsingy de Bemaraha Strict Nature Reserve
Tsingy de Bemaraha Strict Nature Reserve is a nature reserve located near the western coast of Madagascar in Melaky Region at . The area was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1990 due to the unique geography, preserved mangrove forests, and wild bird and lemur populations...
in western Madagascar, which is a UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
. The animal is probably threatened with becoming extinct in the long run, since the size of the population is unknown so far and its habitat
Habitat (ecology)
A habitat is an ecological or environmental area that is inhabited by a particular species of animal, plant or other type of organism...
shrinks continuously.