Madagascar Lemurs Glossary
  • adapted    Changed to fit into a new place or situation. Listen: (ah-DAP-ted)
  • Africa    Large continent in the eastern hemisphere south of the Mediterranean Sea. Listen: (AA-free-kah)
  • Australia    The island continent in the southern hemisphere which is home to many unusual animals such as kangaroos. Listen: (Aw-STRAY-leeyah)
  • bamboo    Tall tropical plants with stiff, hollow stems. The stems are used to make furniture. The new shoots are used as food. Listen: (bam-BOO)
  • bamboo lemurs    Small, shy lemurs who eat bamboo stems and leaves. Listen: (bam-BOO LEE-merz)
  • baobab    Any of several types of trees with thickened trunks that store water and short limbs that look more like roots than branches. Listen: (BAY-oh-bahb)
  • beach The sandy or rocky area at the edge of the ocean that varies in width as the tide comes in and goes out. Listen: (BEECH)
  • black and white ruffed lemurs    Big lemurs who have a stiff mane of hair around their necks. Listen: (BLAHK-ahnd-whait RUHFT LEE-merz)
  • burrow    A hole or short tunnel dug by an animal for a place to hide and live. Listen: (BUR-oh)
  • collared lemurs    Lemurs related to crowned lemurs that have longer fur like a collar sticking out on both sides below their chins. Listen: (KAH-lerd LEE-merz)
  • continent    One of the six or seven great divisions of land on the globe, such as Africa, North America, and Europe. Listen: (KON-tin-nent)
  • crowned lemurs    Medium-sized lemurs with an orange mark just above the eyes shaped like a crown. Boy and girl crowned lemurs are different colors, but both have the crown mark. Listen: (KRAUND LEE-merz)
  • extinct    Not existing anymore. If a kind of animal once lived in a place, but none of the animals live there now, then that animal is extinct there. Listen: (eks-STINKT)
  • habitat    The type of place where a plant or animal normally lives or grows. Listen: (HAA-bih-tat)
  • indri    The largest type of lemur. It is about the size of a four year old child. It is black and white, has a loud, wailing call, and has a short tail. Listen: (IN-dree)
  • island    Land that is completely surrounded by water. Listen: (EYE-land)
  • lemurs    A group of mammals related to monkeys and apes that live only on the island of Madagascar. Lemurs come in many sizes and colors but all live in trees. Listen: (LEE-merz)
  • Madagascar    The fourth largest island on earth. Madagascar is near the southeast coast of Africa and is the home of many unusual plants and animals including baobab trees and lemurs. Listen: (Ma-duh-GAS-car)
  • mouse lemurs    Very small lemurs are only about the size of a mouse, but they have eyes looking straight ahead and hands with thumbs like other lemurs. Listen: (MAUSS LEE-merz)
  • predator    An animal that lives by catching and eating other animals. Listen: (PREH-dah-ter)
  • ring-tailed lemurs    Fairly large lemurs whose bushy tails have dark and light rings. They also have dark rings around their eyes. Ringtails live in big groups and spend more time walking on the ground than most lemurs. Listen: (REENG-tayld LEE-merz)
  • ruffed   Having a ring of longer fur that sticks out stiffly around the face. Listen: (RUHFT)
  • ruffed lemur   Big lemur with a stiff mane of hair around its neck. This lemur group includes both black and white ruffed and red ruffed lemurs. Listen: (RUHFT LEE-mer)
  • sifakas    Tall, slender lemurs who make the "sss" sound that gives them their name.    Most kinds of sifaka are white with dark or rusty-colored markings down the arms and legs. Sifakas stand up straight holding a tree trunk, and even stay up straight when they leap to another tree trunk. Listen: (see-FAHKs or see-FAHK-ahz)
  • sprout    To begin to grow, like leaves sprouting from a seed. Listen: (SPROWT)
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