Northern Giant Mouse Lemur

Taxobox | name = Northern Giant Mouse Lemur
status = DD
status_system = iucn3.1
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Mammalia
ordo = Primates
familia = Cheirogaleidae
genus = "Mirza"
species = "M. zaza"
binomial = "Mirza zaza"
binomial_authority = Kappeler & Roos, 2005

The Northern Giant Mouse Lemur ("Mirza zaza") was discovered to be a species in 2005 by Kappeler "et al." [http://www.dpz.gwdg.de/pr/pr71/1_mirza-gesamt_hp.pdf P.M. Kappeler et al.: A New Mirza Species Primate Report "71", July 2005] (PDF)] from the German primates centre and the University of Göttingen. Before, both populations of giant mouse lemurs were believed to belong to one species. The Northern Giant Mouse Lemurs are small nocturnal lemurs endemic to Madagascar. They weigh about convert|300|g|lk=on, have a long bushy tail and relatively small ears. Their large testicles are an indication of their promiscuous copulation system.

Etymology

The name "zaza" means children in Malagasy. Kappeler "et al." choose this name because it refers to the fact that the Northern Giant Mouse Lemur is the smaller of the two giant mouse lemur species and also because they wished to emphasize the responsibility of the current generation of Malagasy children for the conservation of Malagasy animals for future generations.

References