Greater Bamboo Lemur Discovery
Posted by: Loren Coleman on July 25th, 2008
Greater Bamboo Lemurs (Prolemur simus). Recent discovery, Lemur, Primate, Madagascar. The Greater Bamboo Lemurs lives in a maze of bamboo in the rainforests of Madagascar. These primates are the only lemurs being able to crack the hard fibers of giant bamboo that are their favored food. Copyright: Jonathan Linus Fiely
Scientists have confirmed the existence of a previously unknown population of Greater bamboo lemurs in Madagascar more than 400 kilometres from the only other place where the Critically Endangered species is known to live, greatly raising hopes for its survival.
The researchers believe there are 30-40 greater bamboo lemurs in the Torotorofotsy wetland, which is far to the north of the isolated pockets of bamboo forest where the rest of the known populations of the species live.
“Finding the extremely rare Bamboo lemur in a place where nobody expected it was probably more exciting than discovering a new lemur species,” said conservation geneticist Edward Louis of Henry Doorly Zoo, who coordinated the joint research mission that found the new population.
For more details, see Wildlife Extra.
About Loren Coleman
Loren Coleman is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists, some say “the” leading living cryptozoologist. Certainly, he is acknowledged as the current living American researcher and writer who has most popularized cryptozoology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursuit of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969. An honorary member of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in the 1970s, Coleman has been bestowed with similar honorary memberships of the North Idaho College Cryptozoology Club in 1983, and in subsequent years, that of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, CryptoSafari International, and other international organizations. He was also a Life Member and Benefactor of the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct).
Loren Coleman’s daily blog, as a member of the Cryptomundo Team, served as an ongoing avenue of communication for the ever-growing body of cryptozoo news from 2005 through 2013. He returned as an infrequent contributor beginning Halloween week of 2015.
Coleman is the founder in 2003, and current director of the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine.
okay, I had to read the top twice to make sure I understood what they were saying. We did not find a new species, just more of a special type of existing lemur. Cool, I think lemurs are cool!