Subfossil lemur

A lemur known from relatively recent fossil or subfossil remains, often an extinct species that lived in Madagascar during the past several thousand years.

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Archaeoindris fontoynontii: An extinct, gorilla-sized lemur known from subfossil remains in Madagascar. Its enormous size shows how far subfossil lemurs extended beyond living lemur body plans.
Subfossil: Partially preserved biological remains that have not fully mineralized into rock. Many recently extinct lemurs are known from remains preserved in this intermediate state.
Madagascar: An island nation in the Indian Ocean, separated from Africa and home to distinctive endemic wildlife. All known subfossil lemurs belong to Madagascar's unique island fauna.
Holocene extinction: The ongoing wave of species extinctions that began during the late Quaternary. The disappearance of subfossil lemurs is part of this wider extinction pattern.
Quaternary extinction event: A major wave of animal extinctions during the late Pleistocene and Holocene. The timing and causes of Madagascar's lemur losses contribute to this broader debate.
Megaladapis: An extinct genus of large, slow-moving lemurs from Madagascar. Its skull and limb anatomy reflect a distinctive, specialized form among extinct lemurs.
Radiocarbon dating: A method for estimating the age of once-living material by measuring its carbon-14 content. It establishes when lemur remains were deposited and when populations persisted.
Lemur: A primate native to Madagascar, belonging to the infraorder Lemuriformes. Subfossil lemurs are extinct or fossil-known members of the broader lemur lineage.
Megafaunal extinction: The loss of large-bodied animal species, especially during the late Quaternary. Madagascar's extinct giant lemurs are a distinctive island example.
Overkill hypothesis: The hypothesis that human hunting caused many late Quaternary megafaunal extinctions. It emphasizes direct human pressure as a possible cause of lemur disappearance.