Mirza

Mirza, commonly called the giant mouse lemurs, is a genus of strepsirrhine primate in the family Cheirogaleidae, order Primates, endemic to Madagascar. First documented in 1867 as a single species and initially grouped with mouse lemurs and dwarf lemurs, the genus was established separately by John Edward Gray in 1870, a classification that remained controversial until it was revived by Ian Tattersall in 1982 and gained acceptance through the 1990s. The genus contains two formally described species: the northern giant mouse lemur (Mirza zaza), recognized as distinct in 2005, and Coquerel giant mouse lemur (Mirza coquereli); both are found in the western dry deciduous forests of Madagascar, with the northern species extending further north into the Sambirano Valley and Sahamalaza Peninsula. Giant mouse lemurs weigh approximately 300 grams, have long bushy tails, sleep in constructed nests by day, forage alone at night for fruit, tree gum, insects and small vertebrates, and remain active year round without entering torpor; both species are assessed as Endangered.