A lemur is a type of primate (the group of animals that includes monkeys, apes, and humans) found only on the island of Madagascar, off the southeast coast of Africa. Lemurs have large, forward-facing eyes, long tails, and soft fur. They range in size from the tiny mouse lemur, which weighs about as much as a tennis ball, to the indri, which is roughly the size of a large housecat.

What makes lemurs special is that they exist nowhere else on Earth naturally. When Madagascar split off from the African continent millions of years ago, lemurs evolved in isolation, developing into over 100 different species. Some lemurs leap acrobatically through trees, some are nocturnal, and the ring-tailed lemur (probably the most recognizable, with its striped tail) often travels on the ground in groups called troops.

Many lemur species are endangered because Madagascar's forests are disappearing.