News

World Lemur Day 2024: History, Significance and Facts

World Lemur Day is yearly celebrated on each final Friday of October so this 12 months it falls on twenty eighth October. The goal of this vacation is to boost consciousness about the necessity to protect this endangered species, and to rejoice its distinctive attributes. 



Lemur is an unbelievable species of primates and they’re endemic to the island of Madagascar in Africa. Most present lemurs are small, have a pointed snout, massive eyes, and an extended tail. They mainly reside in bushes and are energetic at night time.

The vacation was first noticed in 2014, when it was based by Jonah Ratsimmbazafy in Antananarivo, Madagascar. Since then zoos and animal rights organizations throughout the globe have been celebrating this specific occasion.

Event World Lemur Day
Date October 28, 2024
Day Friday
Significance The day honors and celebrates the Lemur
Observed by World broad

–Advertisement–






–Keep on reading–

World Lemur Day History: 

Lemurs are primates that belong to the suborder ‘Strepsirrhini.’ They advanced on the island of Madagascar for about 40 million years. They are thought to have advanced throughout a interval generally known as the ‘Eocene,’ if not earlier. D.N.A.-based proof means that they landed up on Madagascar between 40 to 52 million years in the past. However, the migrations of people onto the island about 2,000 years in the past led to lemurs being restricted to round 10% of the land.

The lemur lineage continued in tropical forests, nonetheless, and they had been significantly profitable in Madagascar after some members of the lineage probably floated throughout the Mozambique Channel on mats of vegetation some 50 million years in the past. On Madagascar, lemurs had been comparatively free from competitors with more-advanced primates. Fossils from Egypt and Kenya relationship to 34 million years in the past recommend that the ancestors originated in Africa earlier than dispersing to Madagascar, supporting the notion that at the very least two separate lemur migrations to the island occurred.

See also  Merry Christmas Messages, Wishes for Soldiers, Military

Lemurs got their identify round 1758 by Carl Linnaeus, the founder of contemporary binomial nomenclature. Their identify is derived from the Latin ‘lemures,’ that means ‘specters’ or ‘ghosts.’ In Malagasy tradition, lemurs are believed to have souls able to getting revenge if wronged. This perception has triggered a way of taboo, or ‘fady’ surrounding the mammal. So regardless of being so outdated species the animal has solely bought well-known within the current historical past solely in the course of the colonization of the Madagascar it bought launched to the western world and later to the entire world. 

The first World Lemur Festival was celebrated in 2014, and was organized by Professor Jonah Ratsimbazafy of GERP Madagascar. The first pageant was held solely within the capital metropolis of Antananarivo, Madagascar. It raised consciousness in regards to the worth of lemurs as Madagascar’s distinctive pure heritage amongst scientists and most of the people. It aimed to awaken pleasure for lemurs in Malagasy folks, enhance the economic system by way of tourism, and promote lemur conservation and training worldwide.

–Advertisement–



–Keep on reading–

World Lemur Day Significance: 

Most lemurs of Madagascar and the close by Comoros Islands have massive eyes, foxlike faces, monkeylike our bodies, and lengthy hind limbs. Lemurs vary in size (excluding the tail) from about 9 cm (3.5 inches) in Madame Berthe’s mouse lemur (Microcebus berthae) to almost 70 cm (28 inches) for the indri (Indri indri). The bushy tails of lemurs may be longer than their our bodies; the indri, nonetheless, has solely a stub of a tail.

See also  Christmas Wishes Messages for Boyfriend far away – Him

Lemurs share resemblance with different primates, however advanced independently from monkeys and apes. Due to Madagascar’s extremely seasonal local weather, lemur evolution has produced a degree of species range rivaling that of every other primate group. Most species have been found or promoted to full species standing for the reason that Nineteen Nineties; nonetheless, lemur taxonomic classification is controversial and is determined by which species idea is used.

–Advertisement–



–Keep on reading–

Lemurs are much less clever than monkeys. Their sense of odor is extra acute however their imaginative and prescient much less so. Although some species are at instances energetic in the course of the day, their eyes appear to be tailored for nocturnal life, buying and selling acuity for elevated sensitivity in low mild circumstances. Lemurs are docile, gregarious animals; some species reside in teams of 10 or extra. Most of their time is spent within the bushes consuming fruit, leaves, buds, bugs, and small birds and birds’ eggs, however food regimen varies amongst completely different species. Some, for instance, are primarily insectivorous, whereas others feed virtually completely on foliage. 

Today, a number of species of lemurs are critically endangered. They are threatened by a myriad of environmental points, looking, local weather change, and the unique pet commerce. They are working out of assets for survival, largely resulting from habitat destruction and degradation. Hence to boost consciousness about this concern the World Lemur Day was created. Since then zoos and animal rights organizations throughout the globe have been celebrating this specific occasion. World Lemur Day is widely known in tandem with the World Lemur Festival, a pageant in Madagascar that goals to boost consciousness in regards to the plight of lemur species.

See also  Malta Republic Day 2024: History, Significance and Celebrations

World Lemur Day Facts: 

Now let’s check out a number of the most attention-grabbing and fascinating info about our stunning lemurs: 

  1. Madagascar is the one place on the planet that may be a pure dwelling for lemurs.
  2. Besides people, lemurs are one of many solely primates which have blue eyes.
  3. A undeniable fact that few folks know is that lemurs are thought of the world’s oldest primates! The story of lemurs begins over 70 million years in the past, lengthy earlier than people.
  4. In the rainforests of east Madagascar you’ll typically hear the songs of the indri. Indri are the proficient a capella group of the animal kingdom. 
  5. There are about 112 species of lemurs which have been recorded so sure it’s a very numerous animal. 

Most Searched FAQs on World Lemur Day: 

1. When is World Lemur Day celebrated? 

World Lemur Day is yearly celebrated on each final Friday of October. 

2. What is the rarest lemur on the earth? 

The northern sportive lemur is the rarest on the earth.

3. What is King Julian from Madagascar? 

King Julian is a ring-tailed lemur!

Related Articles

Back to top button