Family of the Week: The Spiny Lemurs
These are the only pentadactyls that developed spines of one kind or another on their body. These spines may be like mere whisker material that grew on the body, or may be thick, but they are always sharp and used for self-defense. Most species in the Echilemuridae are large, lazy, ground-dwelling species. Nothing like their closest relatives, the Chirosapidae. There are a few tree-dwelling species in this family, and they can be characterized by having sparse, or small patches of spines. Whereas the large ground-dwelling species have more and larger patches of spines. In some cases, even covering the entire body. Though the species in the subfamily Lipoechininae, which includes Lipoechinus and Senzispina , are also large lemurs and their spines more resemble whiskers. They are also faster runners than other large members of this family. These animals range in size from the tiny, nectar-eating honey lemurs ( Setaglossus ) to the large Pachysetus lemur that inhabits most of...