Pygmy_Mouse-lemur Pygmy_Mouse-lemur

Pygmy Mouse-lemur - Definition and Overview

Pygmy Mouse-lemur
Conservation status: Endangered
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Mammalia
Order:Primates
Suborder:Strepsirhini
Family:Cheirogaleidae
Genus:Microcebus
Species:M. myoxinus
Binomial name
Microcebus myoxinus
Peters, 1852

The Pygmy Mouse-lemur (Microcebus myoxinus) is the smallest of the mouse-lemurs and the smallest primate in the world, only weighing around 30 grams (roughly 1 ounce). Its dorsal side is a rufous-brown colour, and creamy-white ventrally. They live in dry deciduous forests.

The Pygmy Mouse-lemur measures around 6.2 cm. Its small size and nocturnal nature made it difficult to locate for over a century, and was rediscovered in the Kirindy forest in western Madagascar in 1993. They are believed to inhabit other parts of the island, but so far have only been discovered in a localised area.

They rest during the day, and have a tendency to sleep in the open, which increases the risk of predation; although this danger is somewhat mitigated by sleeping alone. They can also use the abandoned nests of the Giant Mouse-lemur.

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