The group of primates referred to as ‘‘lemurs’’ are classified in the suborder Prosimii.
This suborder consists of six families, which include Lorisidae (lorises and pottos of
Asia and Africa) and five families endemic to Madagascar: Cheirogaleidae (mouse
lemurs, dwarf lemurs, and fork-marked lemurs), Megaladapidae (sportive lemurs),
Lemuridae (‘‘true lemurs’’ or black, brown, ring-tailed and ruffed lemurs, and bamboo
lemurs), Indriidae (avahi, indri, and sifaka), and Daubentoniidae (aye-aye).1 This article
is limited to the Malagasy lemurs.