Coquerel's giant mouse lemur (Mirza coquereli), also known as Coquerel's dwarf lemur or southern giant mouse lemur, is a small nocturnal lemur endemic to Madagascar. This species was named after the French entomologist Charles Coquerel. This lemur can be found in parts of the Madagascar dry deciduous forests.
This lemur is active throughout the year; unlike mouse lemurs (Microcebus), it does not hibernate, and instead it feeds on homopteran larvae to sustain itself. It is an arboreal species, and feeds on fruit, flowers, and small animals such as insects and spiders. Coquerel's giant mouse lemur is heavily preyed upon by owls.
This species was the only member of the genus Mirza until 2005, when a second species, the northern giant mouse lemur (M. zaza) was described.
Famous quotes containing the words giant and/or mouse:
“The giant was hairy, the giant was horrid,
He had one eye in the middle of his forehead.”
—Ogden Nash (19021971)
“An epicure dining at Cree
Found a rather large mouse in his stew.
Said the waiter, Dont shout,
Or wave it about,
Or the rest will be wanting one too.”
—Anonymous.