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From Latinlemurēs(“spirits of the dead”). The name was originally given to the red slender loris (then Lemur tardigradus) in 1754 by Carl Linnaeus. According to Linnaeus, the name was selected because of the nocturnal activity and slow movements of the red slender loris. In 1758, Linnaeus added, among others, the ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta) to the genusLemur. All other species, including the red slender loris, were eventually moved to other genera. In time, the word became the colloquial name for all primates endemic to Madagascar.[1]
^ A. R. Dunkel with J. S. Zijlstra and C. P. Groves (2011-2012) “Giant Rabbits, Marmosets, and British Comedies: Etymology of Lemur Names, Part 1”, in Lemur News, volume 16, archived from the original on 6 November 2016, pages 64–70.