Lemur species is named for Cleese
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Most people know him as the Minister for Silly Walks on “Monty Python” or as Q in James Bond films. But John Cleese will also go down in history for another reason: lemurs.
Researchers from the University of Zurich in Switzerland have named a newly discovered species of lemur -- one of the most primitive and endangered primates in the world -- after the British comedian in honor of his work with the animal.
The avahi cleesei, which weights less than 2 pounds and eats leaves, was discovered in Western Madagascar in 1990 by a team led by anthropologist Urs Thalmann and his colleague Thomas Geissman of Zurich University.
The name is a tribute to Cleese’s promotion of the plight of lemurs in the movie “Fierce Creatures” and the documentary “Operation Lemur With John Cleese,” the university said in a statement. A lemur even appears next to Cleese on his website.
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