Mongoose lemur Mongoose lemur The mongoose lemur ("Eulemur mongoz") is a small primate in the family Lemuridae, native to Madagascar and the Comoros Islands. These arboreal animals have pointed faces, long bushy tails, dark brown upper parts, pale bellies and a beard, which is reddish in males and white in females. They live in family groups and feed primarily on fruits, but also eat leaves, flowers and nectar, with nectar from the kapok tree making up a large part of their diet during the dry season. They have declined sharply in numbers because of habitat destruction and hunting, and the International Union
Asháninka arboreal chinchilla rat Asháninka arboreal chinchilla rat The Asháninka arboreal chinchilla rat ("Cuscomys ashaninka") is a large species of chinchilla rats from the Andes of far northern Cusco in Peru. It was first scientifically described in 1999. The first specimen of this species was discovered by Dr. Louise Emmons, a researcher of the Smithsonian Institution from Washington, D.C., who found it by chance while climbing in the Vilcabamba Mountains near Machu Picchu. Emmons named the genus after the city of Cusco, and she named the species for the Asháninka people who live in Peru. The animal has grey fur, with a white nose