Saturday Night Lemur! Madagascan primates show off their moves in impressive dance routine
- The whole dance routine was captured on camera by Allison Buttigieg
- She was on holiday with her boyfriend in Madagascar
- Normally lemurs jump from tree to tree but they had to cross a dirt road
- As they landed each one burst into an array of impressive dance moves
This is the moment a group of lemurs scrambled down a tree and burst into a fantastic dance display which wouldn't have looked out of place in Saturday Night Fever.
The primates had been eating berries from the top of the tall bark when they decided to cross a dirt
road to a cluster of other trees.
As they landed on the ground each one burst into an array of impressive dance moves, including twirls, jumps, spins and stretches
Staying alive: This lemur would give Tony Manero a run for his money on the dance floor
Boogie nights: One lemur looked like he was pulling the same moves as John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever
They boogied their way across the track without stopping and even performed a few acrobatic stunts.
The elaborate routine only stopped when they reached another trunk and scrambled up to the top.
The whole dance routine was captured on camera by Allison Buttigieg, who was watching the lemurs' antics with her boyfriend, Olli Teirila.
The couple were enjoying a holiday on the island of Madagascar in the hope of photographing the
dancing, made famous by the animated DreamWorks film.
Throwing shapes: The lemurs boogied their way across the road and even performed a few acrobatic stunts
The lemurs scrambled down a tree before bursting into a fantastic dance display
Allison, 34, from Helsinki in Finland, said: 'Part of the reason I wanted to go to Madagascar is
because they have lemurs there that look like they are dancing.
'We went to a spot where there were a group of them up in the trees and waited for many hours for them to move.
'Normally they jump from tree to tree but they had to cross a dirt road, so we were waiting for them to
do that.
The animal kingdom's Fred Astaire: As they landed on the ground each one burst into an array of dance moves
Moves like Jagger: Eventually the lemurs came down from the trees and started doing their little dance
Lemurs love to dance but they do not know how to crawl because they spend most of their day in the trees
Lemurs are an old group of primates which evolved after Madagascar split away from the African mainland
Smooth mover: Allison, 34, from Helsinki in Finland, took the photos of the dancing lemurs
'Eventually they came down from the trees and started doing their little dance.
"They are adapted to the trees and they can't crawl so this is why they do it.
"I had seen them doing it on documentaries before and I had always said I wanted to go and see them for myself and take photos.
'It was very amusing and looked so funny, taking pictures was hard because I couldn't help but stop and just look at them as they did it.
As there was no competition from monkeys on Madagascar, lemurs soon came to dominate its rainforests
Allison waited for hours for the lemurs to come down for trees so she could catch them dancing
'I was ecstatic to get the photos as that was one of the main things I wanted to do, I was really
happy.'
Lemurs are an old group of primates which evolved in near isolation after Madagascar split away from the African mainland.
They filled the ecological niches occupied by monkeys, the dominant primates, on mainland Africa.
As there was no competition from monkeys on Madagascar, lemurs soon came to dominate its rainforests, until boats started to arrive around 2,000 years ago and human hunters arrived.
Lemur size ranges from the world's smallest primate to - until fairly recently - some of its largest, the sloth lemurs, which rivalled gorillas in size.
Ancient: Lemurs are named after the lemures (ghosts or spirits) of Roman mythology
Lemurs use their hands and feet to move nimbly through the trees, but cannot grip with their tails
- OUCH! This is why you should never hesitate during a dive
- Heated exchange between Delta pilot and air traffic...
- Unexplained Ghost CCTV Footage - Brookside Theatre, Romford
- This is the ingenious way Brazilians fish for piranhas
- Shocking video shows the extent of execution in Iraq by ISIS
- Incredible voice. Martin covers James Blunt's You're...
- That's the spot! Leopard LOVES getting a massage
- ISIS video shows suicide bomber in car full of explosives...
- The Simpsons/Family Guy crossover episode trailer released
- 'UFO' spotted over Toronto
- Views from the search and rescue operation after the storm
- Horrified parents were witness to nursery beatings
- Kate's got a fan! Wills steps in to help his over-heating...
- Man, 34, is arrested for kidnapping Abigail Hernandez as...
- Airline passengers kick up a stink on Delta flight from...
- 'No one gives me a second look': Shotgun victim who had the...
- Why you should NEVER pause at the top of a diving board: The...
- Grieving parents hit with $200,000 bill for daughter's...
- Exposure to the sun could actually HALVE your chance of...
- Pictured: Sex offender on the run for two years for...
- Violent transnational gangs 'recruiting unaccompanied minors...
- Ebola victim who sparked fears of a global outbreak was...
- Law professor was 'talking on the phone when he saw killer...
- 'Please change your appearance!': Respected meteorologist...