Most Endangered Lemurs, Lorises and Tarsiers
Related to monkeys and apes is a suborder of primates called Prosimians that includes lemurs, lorises and tarsiers. The seven species listed below rank among the 25 most endangered primates in the world.
Greater Bamboo Lemur
Madagascar Prolemur simus
Although they once roamed throughout Madagascar, greater bamboo lemurs are now gone from most of the country. They're currently limited to scattered patches of rainforest in southeastern Madagascar. Forest clearing and hunting have left only a few small populations of the primates.
White-collared Lemur
Madagascar Eulemur albocollaris
About 5,000 to 9,500 white-collared lemurs remain. The rainforest fragments in southeastern Madagascar that they're confined to are being logged and turned into farms. Like other critically endangered lemurs in Madagascar, they're also hunted.
Silky Sifaka
Madagascar Propithecus candidus
Somewhere between a few hundred and a few thousand silky sifaka remain. They live in forest patches covering a small portion of northeastern Madagascar. Even in protected areas these forests continue to be cut. An even greater threat to the continued existence of these lemurs than habitat loss is hunting.
Sahamalaza Peninsula Sportive Lemur
Madagascar Lepilemur sahamalazensis
Likely a few thousand of these sportive lemurs are left. They cling to the few fragments of semi-humid forests remaining in northwestern Madagascar. With logging and clearing, those forests are rapidly shrinking. The lemurs are also especially easy prey for hunters.
Rondo Dwarf Galago
Tanzania Galagoides rondoensis
While no population tallies exist of the rondo dwarf galago or busy baby, its coastal forests have been reduced to scattered shreds. This tiniest of galagos is now limited to about 90 square kilometres of forest in two locations separated by 400 kilometres.
Siau Island Tarsier
Indonesia Tarsius sp.
Siau Island tarsier is a species that's so recently been recognized, as of 2007 it had yet to receive a scientific name. It's native to a single small tropical island. This little relative of lemurs is now gone from many sites that it inhabited only a decade ago. A 2005 survey found the tarsiers at only two locations. They've been gobbled up by islanders who would snack on five or ten at a time.
Horton Plains Slender Loris
Sri Lanka Loris tardigradus nycticeboides
This furry primate is native to Sri Lanka's cool highlands where it was already rare in the 1920s. Searches in recent years each encountered only one or two slender lorises. More may be hiding in a couple of unsurveyed forests.
Lists of the Most Endangered Primates
Reference
Russell A. Mittermeier, Jonah Ratsimbazafy, Anthony B. Rylands, Liz Williamson, John F. Oates, David Mbora, Jörg U. Ganzhorn, Ernesto Rodríguez-Luna, Erwin Palacios, Eckhard W. Heymann, M. Cecília M. Kierulff, Long Yongcheng, Jatna Supriatna, Christian Roos, Sally Walker and John M. Aguiar. 2007. Primates in Peril: The World’s 25 Most Endangered Primates, 2006 – 2008. Primate Conservation. (22): 1-40.
Images of primates © Conservation International
More Endangered Species Information