There are 21 species in 5 genera in the family Cheirogaleidae. As with most Malagasy mammals, recent research has resulted in the naming of several new species in recent years. These are the smallest lemur species and are all arboreal, nocturnal, and social. They are all similar in ecology, with relatively restricted ranges and some variation in diets. (Groves, 1989; Martin, 2003; Nowak and Paradiso, 1983; Thorington and Anderson, 1984; Vaughan, Ryan, and Czaplewski, 2000)