Berenty Reserve, Madagascar
Still pictures cannot dance, so if you really want to see the
Dancing Lemurs in action, go to the video, as explained in
the box at the end of this page.
Dancing Lemurs spend nearly all their time up in the trees.
They are uncomfortable on the ground, but can't avoid it.
Staying vertical on their strong rear legs produces the comic
dance effect. Anyone with a camera has to stake out the
right area and then wait for the Dancing Lemurs to come
down and perform. Usually two shows a day, moving back
and forth from different trees where they eat and sleep.
Here you can see long, muscular Dancing Lemur rear feet.
Front feet or paws may be great for grabbing leaves to eat, but
evolution has made them too short for comfortable walking on
all fours. This remains the leading theory as to why Dancing
Lemurs dance. I am no expert and could easily be wrong.
Dancing Lemurs look extremely pleased to be in the
trees. Hardly that way on the ground.
The moment we have been waiting for, when they start to
climb down. The dancers will arrive and the curtain goes up.
Still don't know exactly where or when the dance happens.
|When first seen so high up, it seems an eternity before the
Dancing Lemurs will come down and perform. Be patient.
My Dancing Lemur video segment ends with this shot of a
dancer in mid-air, above the ground. Best and only still of its
kind. In the video I have the benefit of slow motion, a new
feature, which appears designed for Dancing Lemurs.