Subfossil giant lemurs are currently bracketed by two radiocarbon dates for Megaladapis. Remains from Antsiroandoha Cave are dated from the Pleistocene at 26,000 BP (Simons et al., 1995), while those from Manamby Plateau north of Toliara are dated 630 BP, with a 510 BP date for Paleopropithecus (Godfrey et al., 1997).

Flacourt, 1658 (337 BP) described the 'tretretretre', which was probably a Paleopropithecus.
In 1868 after that A. Grandidier had discovered the first elements in the marsh of Lamborahna (Fossil sites) in the southwest of Madagascar, the subfossil vertebrate fauna of Madagascar became object of many studies.
The study of fossil lemurs began with the work of Forsyth Major, 1894a; Forsyth Major, 1896a; Forsyth Major, 1901 and A. Grandidier, 1905 himself.
Encouraged by the Malagasy Academy, newly created and presided by Dr. Fontoynont, it was F. Standing, 1908 who, between 1903 and 1907, described the first discovered skulls of Megaladapsis, Paleopropithecus and Archaeolemur. Those skulls were found in the excavations in the rich deposit of Ampasambazimba (in the High Planes in the province of Itasy).
The excavations of C. Lamberton, in the south and southwest, still supported by the Malagasy Academy, resulted in a collection of perfectly preserved bones. This collection contained the first skull of Archaeoindris and a copy of the skull of Hadropithecus.
C. Lamberton, 1934, aided by Vidal and Razakamampianina, started the publication of his discoveries of the fossil lemurs illustrated with magnificent photos. In particular Archaeoindris fontoynonti, Megaladapsis Edwardsi, Megaladapsis madagascariensis and the big Chiromys of the west and south of Madagascar. Those studies are still carried on thanks to many European, American and Malagasy researchers.
The extinction of this giant fauna is subject to divers hypotheses. In any case, it is certainly linked to the arrival of humans on the island, which was still recently covered with forests.
Martin, 1984a proposed two extinction models, the 'blitzkrieg' and the 'slow burn' (see also Simons et al., 1995). In either case, extinction began about 2000 years ago with the arrival of the first humans, dated by worked hippo bones (MacPhee and Burney, 1991) and exotic plant pollen (Burney, 1987). The blitzkrieg proceeds faster; the slow burn allows species to survive in pockets for longer periods.
(subfossil 1; subfossil 2; subfossil 3)

Subfossil families include:
DAUBENTONIIDAE: Daubentonia robusta, a 10 kg Aye-aye living in the south. His life-style remains something of a puzzle, since the small Aye-aye is thought to be at the upper size limit of logical woodpeckers (Simons, 1995).
(Chiromys robustus pl1a) 1 = humerus, 2 = ulna, 3 = radius, 4 = clavicle, 5 = phalange of specialized finger, 6 = scapula. Character 'a' represents extant Daubentonia (Chiromys) madagascariensis
(Chiromys robustus pl1b) 7 = femur, 8 = tibia, 9 = radius, 10 = pelvic girdle. Character 'a' represents extant Daubentonia (Chiromys) madagascariensis

According to J.-J. Petter, attention must be paid to the fact that the Malagasy forest was in past times much more immense than in recent times. With gigantic trees, the habitants of the east coast (Betsimisaraka) constructed enormous pirogues. In those pirogues, they gathered in the north of the island and from there went to loot Zanzibar and the coasts of Africa.
The masses of xylophagous insects, with larvae, which have cycles of several years inhabiting those gigantic trees, increased with the age of those trees. With a permanent stock and production of those larvae, the giant Daubentonia was capable to nourish itself. Besides, it could have been possible that those giant Daubentonia, just as the extant Aye-aye, also used to nourish on the gums of the trunks of certain trees.

LEMURIDAE: Pachylemur jullyi, a 10 kg relative of the ruffed lemur found all over the island (Tattersall, 1982).

ARCHAEOLEMURIDAE: a presumed sister group to the indrid/palaeopropithecid clade.
Archaeolemur. A 15-25 kg baboon-like semi-terrestrial quadruped (Godfrey, 1977; Godfrey, 1988).
Hadropithecus. c. 17 kg, and more terrestrial than Archaeolemur whose dentition implies a diet of grasses and small seeds. Known only from the center, southwest, and southeast of the island. Few postcranial remains have been found.

MEGALAPIDAE: with skulls the size of oxen or gorillas, to encompass megadont herbivorous dentition, presumably derived from Lepilemur-like ancestors Jungers, 1976; Jungers, 1977; Vuillaume-Randriamanantena et al., 1992.
Megaladapis (Megaladapis) madagascariensis/grandidieri; 35-70 kg, huge grasping hands and feet with enormous hallux. Quadrupedal on ground. Folivorous, but with no upper incisors and so thought perhaps to have a mobile proboscis (Tattersall, 1982). Known range extends from tip to tip of Madagascar.
(Megaladapis madagascariensis), lateral view of skull
(Megaladapis madagascariensis p7), mandible
(Megaladapis Grandidieri), lateral view of skull
(Megaladapis Grandidieri pl7), mandible
(Megaladapis Grandidieri pl5), ventral view of skull
(Megaladapis Grandidieri pl6), dorsal view of skull
Megaladapis (Peloriadapis) edwardsi; 75+ kg, largely terrestrial. Southern distribution.
(Megaladapis Edwardsi), lateral view skull, from extreme south
(Megaladapis Edwardsi pl7), mandible, from extreme south
(Megaladapis Edwardsi (Sud) 4), lateral view of skull
(Megaladapis Edwardsi (Sud) 5), ventral view of skull
(Megaladapis Edwardsi (Sud) 6), dorsal view of skull
(Megaladapis Edwardsi (Ampoza) 4), lateral view of skull
(Megaladapis Edwardsi (Ampoza) 5), ventral view of skull
(Megaladapis Edwardsi (Ampoza) 6), dorsal view of skull
As direct econiche competitors with zebu, these would have been among the first to be annihilated by incoming humans.

PALAEOPROPITHECIDAE: 'Sloth lemurs' (Simons et al., 1992) with remarkable postcranial adaptations for sloth-like behavior. Indrid dentition Godfrey et al., 1997. Most seem to have disappeared before the arrival of humans, with dates of 8250 BP.
Mesopropithecus: c. 10 kg; suspended slow climbers; widely distributed. A third species (Simons et al., 1995) will soon join M. globiceps and M. pithecoides.
Babokotia: c. 15 kg. Long curved digits for suspension Jungers et al., 1991; Simons et al., 1992. Known only from Ankarana and presumably Anjohibe.
Palaeopropithecus: 40-55 kg. Most sloth-like of the family; widely distributed.
Archaeoindris: 200 ± 50 kg. Least known of the family; found only at Ampasambazimba. Jungers, 1980; Vuillaume-Randriamanantena, 1988.
(Archaeoindris fontoynonti pl1), lateral view skull
(Archaeoindris fontoynonti pl2), dorsal view skull
(Archaeoindris fontoynonti pl3), ventral view skull
(Archaeoindris fontoynonti pl4a), anterior view skull
(Archaeoindris fontoynonti pl4b), posterior view skull
(Archaeoindris fontoynonti pl5a), dorsal view mandible
(Archaeoindris fontoynonti pl5b), lateral view mandible
(Archaeoindris fontoynonti pl5c), detail of molars

Subfossil sites

Dewar, 1984 list 24 sites from which Malagasy subfossils have been recovered. These are shown in (Fossil sites). The red sites are known to have contained lemurs in association with humans. Other large animals now extinct include Aepyornis and its smaller cousin Mullerornis (Aepyornis), the giant tortoises Geochelone grandidieri and G. abrupta, the pygmy hippopotamus Hippopotamus lemerlei, a large fossa Cryptoprocta spelea, an endemic aardvark Plesiorycteropus madagascariensis, all of them easy prey for Iron-Age hunters.