Megaladapis is an extinct species of primate that once inhabited Madagascar. The closest living relatives of this primate are the weasel lemurs (family Megaladapidae). However Megaladapis was far different than any lemur. Its body is squat and built like that of the mondern Australian koala. Its long arms and fingers were specialized for grasping trees, while its legs were splayed for vertical climbling. Its head is not like any primate. It had long canine teeth and a cow-like jaw. Its jaw muscles were powerful for chewing through the tough native vegetation. Overall its body weight reached 50 kilograms. Unfortunately its specializations for the trees ndered it vulnerable to change. Upon human arrival 2,000 years ago, the forests of Madagascar were cleared to make farmland. Megaladapis, unable to adapt to these new environmental changes imposed by man, faced extinction possibly around 500 years ago.
Other Extinct Giant Lemurs
Archaeoindris
Archaeolemur
Hadropithecus
Pachylemur
Palaeopropithecus
Discovery Channel: Animation gallery of mega beasts [1]
Megaladapis is usually thought to be most closely related to the tiny living sportive lemurs (Lepilemur), which are often placed together in the same family.
Megaladapis edwardsi was the largest of the three Megaladapis species, with an estimated body weight of more than 75 kg, making it one of the biggest prosimians ever to have evolved – only the giant terrestrial Archaeoindris (c.
As the three species of Megaladapis were all dependent on forested environments, and would have been tempting targets for hunters due to their large size and slow movements, it is likely that they were all driven to extinction by a combination of hunting and forest destruction for agriculture.
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