Lemurs are weird because Madagascar’s fruit is weird

Lemurs are primates like us, but they’re the weird cousins. They’re found only on Madagascar off the coast of Africa, and they fight by secreting smelly paste from their shoulders and using their tails to waft the scent at their rivals. Some lemur species become inactive or hibernate when food is scarce, and other species eat all day and all night to get enough nutrients. Another thing that sets them apart is their diet—most primates eat a fruit-heavy diet, but lemurs primarily eat leaves. A new study in Scientific Reports sheds light on why lemurs don’t eat as much fruit as their fellow primates and why they’ve developed these odd dietary behaviors—the fruit on Madagascar contains too little protein to sustain them.