Blue-eyed black lemur - female portrait, Ivoloina park, Madagascar
In captivity, to be released back into the wild. As the name suggests, this species' distinguishing feature is their blue eyes, present in both males and females. A unique feature in primates, the only other species that (sometimes) has blue eyes is us. The male is black with occasional brown highlights, the female is a vibrant orange color.
Almost all of Madagascar's 100+ lemur species are endangered or critically endangered. This one is in particular trouble. It's original natural range is tiny, a small speck in the Northwest of Madagascar. This habitat is almost entirely cleared, and the species is close to extinction in the wild.
The blue-eyed black lemur, also known as the Sclater's lemur, is a species of true lemur. It can attain a body length of 39–45 cm, a tail length of 51–65 cm- a total length of 90–100 cm, and a weight of 1.8-1.9 kg. Being a primate, it has strong hands with palms like a human, which have a rubbery texture to give it a firm grip on branches. Its tail is longer than its body and non-prehensile.
