Wildlife
Mouse lemurs, like all the other lemurs, are native to Madagascar. These forest dwelling primates are strictly nocturnal and, due to their diminutive size, can be quite easily missed. In fact new species are continually being discovered. Mouse lemurs include the world's smallest primate - Madame Berthe's mouse lemur - which is only 10cm long. Long tails aid mouse lemurs to climb and leap.
Scientific name: Microcebus
Rank: Genus
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Tiny lemur
A shrinking refuge for the world's smallest primate.
With an average body length of 92mm and a seasonal weight of around 30g, Madame Berthe's mouse lemur is the world's smallest living primate.
Creatures of the night
A tiny mouse lemur and rare aye aye stalk the forests at night.
A tiny mouse lemur and rare aye aye stalk the forests at night.
Little nippers
Mouse lemurs are small but have a sharp bite.
Mouse lemurs live in holes in trees and are mainly nocturnal. They are quite like their distant relatives, the bush babies. They are the smallest primates. Although cuddly to look at, they are quite fierce and are reluctant to let go once they've bitten you. They have good hearing and store fat in their tails for hibernation. Two females may be pregnant and it is hoped that a colony can be established at London Zoo. This clip was first broadcast in 1961.
Littlest lemur
Lemurs big and small are all under threat, including the planet's smallest primate.
Lemurs big and small are all under threat, including the planet's smallest primate.
Mouse lemurs
Rare footage of the world's smallest primate.
These tiny and vulnerable nocturnal primates are rightly very wary of light. The HD camera's capacity to record in low light wasn't sufficient, so the crew rigged up a dimmer switch to habituate the lemurs to increasing levels gradually, over several weeks. A sophisticated rope access system enabled the crew to film high up in the baobab trees.
The shading illustrates the diversity of this group - the darker the colour the greater the number of species. Data provided by WWF's Wildfinder.
The Mouse lemurs can be found in a number of locations including: Madagascar. Find out more about these places and what else lives there.
The mouse lemurs are nocturnal lemurs of the genus Microcebus. Like all lemurs, mouse lemurs are native to Madagascar.
Mouse lemurs have a combined head, body and tail length of less than 27 centimetres (11 in), making them the smallest primates (the smallest species being Madame Berthe's mouse lemur); however, their weight fluctuates in response to daylight duration.
Mouse lemurs are omnivorous; their diets are diverse and include insect secretions, arthropods, small vertebrates, gum, fruit, flowers, nectar, and also leaves and buds depending on the season.
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