description Lemuria Overview
Lemuria is a hypothetical lost continent proposed in 1864 by the zoologist Philip Sclater as an explanation for the distribution of lemur fossils between Madagascar and the Indian subcontinent. Plate tectonics displaced the hypothesis in science, but Theosophical writers later made Lemuria part of a story about ancient human races and vanished lands. It now belongs mainly to the history of science, esotericism, and lost-continent mythology. [National Geographic](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/history-magazine/article/these-six-islands-existed-in-the-imaginations-of-ancient-explorers)
help Lemuria FAQ
What is Lemuria?
Lemuria was a hypothetical lost continent proposed by zoologist Philip Sclater in 1864. He suggested it to explain the distribution of lemur fossils between Madagascar and the Indian subcontinent.
Who proposed Lemuria?
The zoologist Philip Sclater proposed the idea in 1864. His explanation was based on the geographic distribution of lemur fossils.
Why was Lemuria proposed?
Sclater used Lemuria to explain why related lemur fossils appeared in Madagascar and the Indian subcontinent. The idea attempted to solve a biological distribution puzzle before modern plate-tectonic explanations were accepted.
Is Lemuria accepted by modern geology?
No. Plate tectonics displaced the lost-continent hypothesis as the scientific explanation, although Theosophical writers later gave Lemuria a different spiritual and legendary meaning.
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