lemur

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lemur Any of several small primitive, mainly arboreal (tree-dwelling) and nocturnal, herbivorous primates that live in Madagascar. It resembles a squirrel, but has grasping monkey-like hands with which it climbs easily. Lemurs have changed little in 50 million years, closely resembling the ancestors of man and other primates. Family Lemuridae.

World Encyclopedia

lemur

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le·mur / ˈlēmər/ • n. an arboreal primate (Lemuridae and other families) with a pointed snout and typically a long tail, found only in Madagascar.

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

Lemur

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Lemur (ring-tailed lemurs) See LEMURIDAE.

A Dictionary of Zoology MICHAEL ALLABY

lemur

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lemur XVIII. — modL. lemur, f. L. pl. lemurēs shades of the departed; so named because of its spectre-like face.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD

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