For those of you who watched Madagascar, King Julian is that adorable lemur who considers himself the self proclaimed King of the World. Well it seems that the lemur may not even be kings of their own homes as they actually live in matriarchal societies. Apparently fifty five million years of evolution combined with adopting beneficial behaviours and refining the society has led them to having the females in charge.

Female dominance is not the norm in primates. Usually its the alpha male who keeps the power centre in the pack, but in lemurs its a different story. Researchers studying their behaviour have found that even younger females can bully the males over food and the best place to rest. Apparently if the female wants the food she gets it, and if the male is resting in a spot of sunshine and she wants to lie down there, the resting site is hers as well.

All the female lemur does is move towards the male and he will make a submissive sound and move right out of her way. Those cheering for the females, here’s another sobering thought. Lemurs are struggling to survive as more than ninety percent of their habitat has been lost to slash and burn agricultural practices of the humans. So what does this science project teach you?