A primate with a long tail that lives in Madagascar, known for its large eyes and ability to leap between trees.
From Latin 'lemures' (ghosts or spirits), likely due to the animal's ghostly appearance and nocturnal habits. The word was first applied to these animals in the 18th century by Carl Linnaeus.
Lemurs were named 'ghosts' because locals saw them moving through trees at night with their huge glowing eyes—Linnaeus kept the spooky name even after identifying them as actual animals rather than spirits.
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