Around 100 species of lemurs occur nowhere else in Africa other than in Madagascar. Fascinatingly, experts only discovered most of these species in the last 30 years.
The unique climate of the island has brought forth such a species diversity that isn’t seen in other primates. Furthermore, the different weather patterns have developed some remarkable features, including seasonal fat storage. This storage happens when fat is collected and stored in the tail during times when food is more abundant, and in anticipation for when resources are harder to come by.
An attribute that lemurs share with some other primates is their acute sense of smell. They have scent glands on their wrists and shoulders, as well as their genitals. It used for communication during anything from fighting to flirting.
Deforestation, poaching for bushmeat, and trade as exotic pets are the main threats to lemurs. The different species are classed from ‘Vulnerable’ and ‘Endangered’ to ‘Critically Endangered’.
Volcanoes National Park lies in northwestern Rwanda and made up of rainforest and five of the eight volcanoes in the Virunga Mountains.
The Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is in southwestern Uganda and attracts tourists for the famous gorilla trekking.
Lope National Park lies in Central Gabon. No other region in Central Africa is considered more vital for primates than this National Park.
Virunga National Park is located in the eastern part of the DRC and home to the world’s critically endangered mountain gorillas.
Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania—is home to Lake Tanganyika where Jane Goodall’s chimpanzees have been habituated.