The grey-backed sportive lemur is one of the smallest species belonging to the genus Lepilemur. As the name suggests, the upperparts are greyish-brown in colour to medium-brown, with a dark brown stripe passing along the back. The underparts are a paler greyish-brown (2). The head is grey with a dark grey-brown face that has a fairly blunt muzzle and small, rounded ears that are almost hidden in the fur (2) (5). The tail is roughly the same length as the body and becomes darker towards its tip (5).