With their giant, round black eyes, nubby little ears, fluffy tails, and grabby hands, Madagascar's newest lemur species is hard not to love.

Scientists recently identified and named the new species Groves' dwarf lemur, known scientifically as the Cheirogaleus grovesi.

It was found in two of the country's national parks: Ranomafana, which is characterized by rainforest in a mountainous region, and Andringitra, a mix of grassland and forest.

In the rainforest, these lemurs live high up in canopies, where they shelter inside trees and feed on flowers and nectar. Scientists are still learning about the lemurs' social structure, but they have been observed in groups and wandering as individuals. The lemur is on average six inches long and has a tail measuring about 10 inches, making it smaller than a typical North American squirrel. Males and females pair up to mate, but females do a bulk of the child raising.

"They have a very specific niche," says Edward Louis, the director of the conservation genetics lab at the Omaha Zoo and author on the paper detailing the new species in the journal Primate Conservation.

Catching Lemurs

Scientists had to capture the animals using remote darting or by hand. If darted, Louis says the team deployed spring-loaded nets to catch the lemurs before they fall to the ground.

On the ground, scientists took measurements like head size and weight and extracted samples that were later analyzed in a lab. All lemurs captured for the study were eventually released at the place of capture.

It took nearly a year to officially name the lemur as a species in its own right, an effort that included partnerships with the State University of New York Polytechnic Institute and the nonprofit Global Wildlife Conservation.

READ MORE