Finding new species of any large mammal is a challenge, and new primate finds are notoriously rare. But so far this year, field biologists have turned up new species from two branches of primates, as well as new fossils of what may have been the first hominid.
Leaping lemurs: Two new species of the most ancient primate known bring the total number of lemur species to around 70. (Difficulties assessing species divisions make pinning down the exact number impossible.) Both were found in Madagascar, the only known home to lemurs. The first, Seal’s sportive lemur, was discovered in rain forests on the island’s east coast. The second, the Mitsinjo sportive lemur, was found in the dry forests on the west coast. Edward Louis, the zoo conservation geneticist in Omaha, Nebraska, responsible for the finds, says this is just the beginning: “Lemurs, especially the nocturnal ones, haven’t gotten the attention they’ve ...
