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Scientific Name : Lemur catta
Ring-tailed lemurs are found in the south and west of Madagascar.
Ring-tailed lemurs inhabit various types of forest. They are very good climbers, but they also spend about half of their time on the ground. (Other lemur species spend almost all of their time in the trees)
Their diet consists of fruit, leaves, flowers, sap and bark, with the occasional insect or bird's egg. They have two sharp pointed teeth which help them bite into fruit without squashing it and getting sticky fur!
They are hunted by birds of prey and by fossas (carnivorous mongoose-like animals found only on Madagascar). Sometimes they are still hunted by people.
From the age of 3, females give birth to one baby (or sometimes twins) each July / August. All members of the group help to care for the infant; in fact females don't even seem to mind giving the occasional feed to someone else's offspring!
Ring-tailed lemurs have nails like ours, but they have a special grooming claw on the second toe.
The long, striped tail is used for signalling to other members of the group. It also helps a lot with balance.
Lemurs are very fussy about cleanliness, and members of the group often groom each other. This helps to form a bond between them. Their lower teeth are specially adapted to form a comb.
They are amazingly good jumpers, and can easily leap 4-5 metres!
Like all lemurs, they make a wide range of noises to communicate with each other.
They have special scent
glands on their wrists, their bottoms and under their arms. They scent-mark
to tell the other lemurs where they have been. You can often see our lemurs
at the Wildlife Park behaving in this way.
Facts and Figures |
|
Name |
ring-tailed lemur |
Type of animal |
mammal |
Where found |
Africa |
Habitat |
forest |
Diet |
omnivorous |
Average length |
42 cm |
Average weight |
3 kg |
Average number of young per year |
2 |
Gestation |
135 days |
Maximum lifespan |
25 years |