Ring-tailed Lemur
Lemur catta
- Habitat: Brush and scrub forests
- Range: South and south-western Madagascar
- Natural Diet: Fruit, flowers, nectar, leaves, and buds
- Status in the Wild: THREATENED
Their ringed tails longer than their bodies
Fun facts
- Ring-tailed lemurs are only found on the island of Madagascar
- They are the only species of lemur to have scent glands on their wrists. The glands are used to mark their territory and in "stink fights" in which opponents rub their tails on the glands and wave the scented tail .
- Ring tailed lemurs as their name indicates, have ringed tails longer than their bodies
- Madagascar natives once believed that these lemurs worshipped the sun because they can be seen sunbathing on a branch or log with their arms wide apart.
- Females are in charge of their family troops
Ring-tailed lemurs display allogrooming by grooming each other
Conservation Threats
The Major threats are:
- Habitat loss as a negative influence on the depleting numbers in the wild.
- They are heavily hunted and trapped by the Malagasy people as a food source
Ring-tailed lemurs are endemic to Madagascar and are found in the south in dry deciduous forests and spiny bush habitats
(Photo Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons)