The ring tailed lemur is a primate native to Madagascar. They live in groups ranging from 5-30. They travel within their territories. Territories occasionally overlap. Females are the dominant sex in the species and females are usually dominant in the group. . Males usually travel between groups.
Lemurs are active during the day and frequently sunbathe. Ring tailed lemurs primarily live in trees, but unlike other lemurs, they do frequently use the ground to travel. They communicate through grunts. They also occasionally mew like house cats. Lemurs are herbivores and their diet primarily consists of fruit. They may also eat bark, leaves and berries.
Ring tailed lemurs are brownish gray on top with a white underside. They have leather like paws and long bushy, black and white ringed tails. They are 1 1/12 feet long on average and weigh 7-12 lbs. They have a gestation period of about 3 ½ months. Single births are the most common, with twins and triplets occurring occasionally. About half of all young die at birth. Those that survive are carried on the mother’s fur for several weeks, until they are able to walk. Once they are able to walk, they are cared for by the group. They reach adulthood at about 18 months.
Ring tailed lemurs are endangered. There’s no exact estimate as to how many are left but it is believed to be anywhere from 10,000 to 100,000. Destruction of habitat is the primary threat to this species.
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Ring Tailed Lemur
Kids Planet-Lemur
Lemurs

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