What animal is Mort from the movie Madagascar?

Answer 1

Mort is a mouse lemur.

Lemurs are very diverse, with 5 families, 15 genera, and 99 species and subspecies known to science (as of 2008). Mouse lemurs are just one type of lemur, and are very distinct from the commonly-known Ring-tailed Lemur, both in size and appearance. However, the 16 or more mouse lemur species themselves are nearly indistinguishable visually. They are considered to be cryptic species. Therefore, unless DreamWorks Animation formally states that Mort was based on a specific species, we have to assume that this fictional, cartoonish character is simply based off of a general mouse lemur.

internet rumor, likely started on someone's blog, contends that Mort is a Goodman's Mouse Lemur, noting similarities in appearance based off images on the web. However, there is nothing else to support this, and given that mouse lemurs are visually indistinguishable, this rumor is false. Regardless, it has spread around the web and is now considered by many fans to be the truth. However, the strongest case against this claim (crypsis aside) is that the movie "Madagascar" was released in theaters on May 27, 2005, whereas the discovery of the Goodman's Mouse Lemur was reported in August 2005.
Mort is a mouse lemur.

Lemurs are very diverse, with 5 families, 15 genera, and 99 species and subspecies known to science (as of 2008). Mouse lemurs are just one type of lemur, and are very distinct from the commonly-known Ring-tailed Lemur, both in size and appearance. However, the 16 or more mouse lemur species themselves are nearly indistinguishable visually. They are considered to be cryptic species. Therefore, unless DreamWorks Animation formally states that Mort was based on a specific species, we have to assume that this fictional, cartoonish character is simply based off of a general mouse lemur.

Internet rumor, likely started on someone's blog, contends that Mort is a Goodman's Mouse Lemur, noting similarities in appearance based off images on the web. However, there is nothing else to support this, and given that mouse lemurs are visually indistinguishable, this rumor is false. Regardless, it has spread around the web and is now considered by many fans to be the truth. (Repetition alone apparently has the power to make Internet rumor into "Internet fact.") However, the strongest case against this claim (crypsis aside) is that the movie "Madagascar" was released in theaters on May 27, 2005, whereas the discovery of the Goodman's Mouse Lemur was reported in August 2005.