page_title: Archaeolemur
section_title: Classification
hierarchical_section_title: Archaeolemur / Classification
caption_attribution_description: Italiano: Fossil of Archaeolemur, an extinct mammal- Took the photo at Museum Histoire Naturelle, Paris
context_page_description: Archaeolemur is an extinct genus of lemurs that includes two species, Archaeolemur edwardsi and A. majori.
  The genus was widespread throughout Madagascar through much of the Holocene epoch, and its remains are often abundant at fossil sites across the island. Jungers estimated their body weight to be between 15 and 35 kg. The wide geographical and temporal range of the genus may be attributed its generalist nature. Archaeolemur was a semiterrestrial quadruped that spent much of its time on the ground, although it was also well suited to arboreal locomotion. Despite its tendency for a mostly terrestrial lifestyle, it was not as well suited for cursorial locomotion as macaques or baboons, the extant primates the genus is often compared to. When compared to highly terrestrial baboons, Archaeolemur had shorter, more robust limbs, smaller digits, and a wider trunk. Its diet is thought to have encompassed a wide range of foods including seeds and savanna plants. The incisors of Archaeolemur were enlarged and adapted to remove hard shells and rinds from seeds and fruit.
context_section_description: Order Primates
  Suborder Strepsirrhini: lemurs, galagos, and lorisids
  Infraorder Lemuriformes
  Superfamily Lemuroidea
  Family †Archaeolemuridae
  Genus †Archaeolemur
  Species †Archaeolemur edwardsi
  Species †Archaeolemur majori
  Genus †Hadropithecus
  Family Cheirogaleidae:  dwarf and mouse lemurs
  Family Daubentoniidae: aye-aye
  Family Indriidae: woolly lemurs and allies
  Family Lemuridae: lemurs
  Family Lepilemuridae: sportive lemurs
  Family †Megaladapidae
  Family †Palaeopropithecidae
  Superfamily Lorisoidea: lorises, pottos, galagos and allies
  Suborder Haplorrhini: tarsiers, monkeys and apes
caption: Archaeolemur majori skulls
exif: {"Image ImageDescription": "", "Image Make": "Canon", "Image Model": "Canon PowerShot SX240 HS", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "180", "Image YResolution": "180", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image DateTime": "2013:05:25 14:00:35", "Image YCbCrPositioning": "Co-sited", "Image ExifOffset": "2306", "Image Padding": "[]", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "180", "Thumbnail YResolution": "180", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "9184", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "7618", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/30", "EXIF FNumber": "7/2", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "250", "EXIF SensitivityType": "Standard Output Sensitivity and Recommended Exposure Index", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0230", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2013:05:18 11:15:14", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2013:05:18 11:15:14", "EXIF ComponentsConfiguration": "YCbCr", "EXIF CompressedBitsPerPixel": "3", "EXIF ShutterSpeedValue": "157/32", "EXIF ApertureValue": "29/8", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "-1", "EXIF MaxApertureValue": "29/8", "EXIF MeteringMode": "Pattern", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode", "EXIF FocalLength": "9/2", "EXIF FlashPixVersion": "0100", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "3102", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "1930", "Interoperability InteroperabilityIndex": "R98", "Interoperability InteroperabilityVersion": "[48, 49, 48, 48]", "Interoperability RelatedImageWidth": "4000", "Interoperability RelatedImageLength": "3000", "EXIF InteroperabilityOffset": "9008", "EXIF FocalPlaneXResolution": "1000000/61", "EXIF FocalPlaneYResolution": "1000000/61", "EXIF FocalPlaneResolutionUnit": "2", "EXIF SensingMethod": "One-chip color area", "EXIF FileSource": "Digital Camera", "EXIF CustomRendered": "Custom", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Manual Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Auto", "EXIF DigitalZoomRatio": "1", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Standard", "EXIF ImageUniqueID": "2448D814B88E4C2F8C9AF35E0CB5988F", "EXIF CameraOwnerName": "", "EXIF Padding": "[]", "EXIF OffsetSchema": "4156"}