<Li> Family † Archaeolemuridae </Li> <Li> Family † Megaladapidae </Li> <Li> Family † Palaeopropithecidae </Li> <P> Lemur taxonomy has changed significantly since the first taxonomic classification of lemurs by Carl Linnaeus in 1758 . One of the greatest challenges has been the classification of the aye - aye, which has been a topic of debate up until very recently . Until Richard Owen published a definitive anatomical study in 1866, early naturalists were uncertain whether the aye - aye (genus Daubentonia) was a primate, rodent, or marsupial . However, the placement of the aye - aye within the order Primates remained problematic until very recently . Based on its anatomy, researchers have found support for classifying the genus Daubentonia as a specialized indriid, a sister group to all strepsirrhines, and as an indeterminate taxon within the order Primates . Molecular tests have now shown Daubentoniidae is basal to all Lemuriformes, and in 2008, Russell Mittermeier, Colin Groves, and others ignored addressing higher - level taxonomy by defining lemurs as monophyletic and containing five living families, including Daubentoniidae . </P>

Lemurs are primates that live on the island of madagascar