The Latin word lemures means “ghost.” Malagasy people have traditionally associated these primates with spirits because they are active at night, and perhaps because of their eerie, large-eyed stare.

There are more than 20 species of mouse lemurs, and several have been identified only in recent years. This is a rarity in primate research, and illustrates just how much remains to be known about these fascinating animals.

Like all lemurs, mouse lemurs inhabit the island of Madagascar off the east coast of Africa.

The pygmy mouse lemur is the smallest primate in the world. Its head and body are less than two and a half inches long, though its tail is a bit more than twice that length. These threatened nocturnal lemurs live