Ring-tailed Lemur
Lemur catta

Their ringed tails longer than their bodies

 All about Ring-tailed Lemurs

Lemurs are closely related to other primates such as monkeys and apes and are only found in Madagascar. Ring-tailed Lemurs are smaller in size than the ruffed lemurs and are about a foot and a half in length and weigh between 3 to 5 pounds. Their tails are longer than their bodies and are around 2 feet in length. Their most prominent feature is their long white tail with the distinctive black rings which gives them their name. The underbelly and the inner side of the arms and legs of Ring-tailed Lemurs are white while the torso and outer side of their arms and legs are dark grey in color. Their faces are white with black snouts and black eye patches. Their body colors help camouflage them from predators. They have slender builds and long snouts. Males and females are similar in size (monomorphic). They are active during the day (diurnal) and spend a considerable proportion of their time on the ground. They are considered to be the most terrestrial of all species of lemurs.

 

Diet/ Habitat/ Range

Ring-tailed Lemurs are endemic to Madagascar and live in the southwest region that comprises dry forests, shrublands, cliffs, rocky outcrops, plateaus, and mountains. Information about these lemurs is well documented. They are currently known to live in eight identified populations that occupy eight protected areas include the Amoron’i Onilahy Protected Area, the Andringitra National Park, the Anja Community Reserve, the Berenty Private Reserve, the Beza Mahafaly Special Reserve, the Isalo National Park, the Ihorombe Region of the Ihosy District, and the Tsimanampesotse National Park.

Ring-tailed Lemurs feed on fruits, flowers, seeds, and even sap and bark. When food is scarce, they also feed on insects and invertebrates. One of their popular seasonal food sources is tamarind. Since flowers are a popular seasonal food resource for Ring-tailed Lemurs, they carry the pollen that rubs off onto their fur from flower to flower and are categorized as pollinators.

 

Behavior

Ring-tailed Lemurs are highly social creatures and live in large family groups that include 30 or more individuals consisting of several males and females. Lemurs are matriarchal with females occupying positions of dominance and power. Thus all Ring-tailed Lemur social groups are led by one dominant female. In large family groups, each lemur occupies a position of power in a hierarchical system. These positions are maintained through grooming privileges where subordinate lemurs groom dominant individuals. Dominant lemurs experience several other privileges such as primary access to food resources, primary rights to breed, and access to partners.

Like the ruffed lemurs, Ring-tailed Lemurs communicate loudly emitting several different types of calls for specific purposes. Their loudest calls are made to let neighboring lemur groups know that the territory is occupied. They also emit vocalizations to warn members of their group to watch out for predators that may be close by. These vocalizations are called alarm calls. Ring-tailed Lemurs maintain territories to protect their food resources and resting grounds by scent-marking their territorial boundaries with urine. Ring-tailed lemurs have been observed to move quadrupedally and bipedally. They particularly enjoy sitting and basking in the sun almost in a meditative position.

 

Reproduction

In their social groups, Ring-tailed Lemurs males partner with multiple females with males competing for females during the breeding seasons. Ring-tailed lemurs are popularly known for their stink fights where they rub their scent glands located at the base of their hands on their tails before waving them toward competing males. Breeding season occurs during the summer months and young are born in the fall. Females sexually mature by 3 years of age while males mature by 2.5 years.

The gestation period lasts about 5 months and the litter usually consists of one or two young. The young wean around 5 months of age. The mother carries her infants on her abdomen until they are strong enough to hold on. As they get older, she carries them on her back. Since a considerable proportion of behavior in their behavioral repertoire is gained through learning, parents train their young to find food resources and the right food items to eat, maintain territories to protect feeding and resting areas, stay alert for predators, and take care of their young.

 

Conservation/Status

The most significant threat to Ring-tailed Lemurs’ population numbers is habitat loss due to shifting agricultural cultivation. Illegal hunting and trapping that is currently prevalent have also had a detrimental effect on their numbers in the wild. Since these threats lead to a steady population decline, the Union for the Conservation of Nature has categorized them as ENDANGERED.