Madagascar is home to the world’s largest population of lemurs in the wild.
Lemurs are primates found naturally only on Madagascar and the nearby Comoros, with Madagascar containing by far the greatest diversity and habitat. The island’s long isolation from Africa and other landmasses allowed many unusual species to evolve, including sifakas, mouse lemurs, and the aye-aye.
Madagascar separated from the African mainland millions of years ago and later became isolated from the Indian subcontinent. Its landscapes range from humid eastern forests to dry western woodland and spiny southern vegetation. Although often called the “eighth continent” in popular writing, Madagascar is geographically an island, not a continent. Habitat loss remains a major threat to its endemic wildlife.