Newly sequenced genome of extinct giant lemur sheds light on animal's biology

[Still Waters]

Using an unusually well-preserved subfossil jawbone, a team of researchers—led by Penn State and with a multi-national team of collaborators including scientists from the Université d'Antananarivo in Madagascar—has sequenced for the first time the nuclear genome of the koala lemur (Megaladapis edwardsi), one of the largest of the 17 or so giant lemur species that went extinct on the island of Madagascar between about 500 and 2,000 years ago.

The findings reveal new information about this animal's position on the primate family tree and how it interacted with its environment, which could help in understanding the impacts of past lemur extinctions on Madagascar's ecosystems.

https://phys.org/news/2021-06-newly-sequenced-genome-extinct-giant.html