Order: Primates Family:
Lemuridae
Scientific name:
Lemur catta U.S.
common name: Ring-tailed lemur
Status in the wild: Classified as vulnerable by
IUCN and endangered by
USDI and is on Appendix
I of CITES
Major threats: Habitat
destruction due to fires, overgrazing by livestock and cutting of trees for
charcoal production.
Geographic range currently: Southern Madagascar south and west of a line running
approximately from the vicinity of Morondava on the west coast, east
to Fianarantsoa, and then south to Taolanaro.
Habitat: Dry
woodlands, gallery forests, and dry transition forests.
Circadian cycle:
Primarily diurnal, but may be moderately active at night.
Size
General range male female birth
Head to rump length: 385-455 mm
Tail length: 560-624 mm
Head & tail length: 945-1079 mm
Weight: 2.3-3.5 kg 50-80 g
Reproduction
Birthing season: August to October, just before the beginning of the rainy season.
Estrous cycle:
About 40 days with estrus lasting 1 day.
Sexual maturity:
Females first conceive at an average age of 19.5 months. Males are sexually
mature at 2.5 years but may not be allowed to mate by older
Rearing and young
Young called: Infant
Number of young (range): One but twins are not uncommon.
First take solids: In their second month
General
Life expectancy: Up to 33 years
in captivity.
Social structure: Live in groups of 12-24 animals, with no consistent group leadership,
and considerable agonistic activity, including some fighting. The sexes
have separate dominance hierarchies, and the females are dominant
to the males. The basic troop is organized around a core group of adult
females and their infants, young juveniles, and sometimes 1 or
more dominant males. Adult females dominate other females and seem
responsible for territorial defense,
while males are generally peripheral to the group activity. Females remain in
the troop of their birth, but
males move among troops.
Males emigrate from their birth troop upon reaching adulthood, and the males
usually change groups every 3-5
years. Each group appears to have a single “central” male that
interacts with the females at a greater rate than do other males and are
usually
Unique behavior(s): There is an antebrachial (carpal) gland on the forearm as well as
brachial glands. Males rub fatty secretions from these various glands
onto the tail in order to
disperse a scent during agonistic interactions. This behavior is called “stink
fighting”. There are 15 different
vocalizations that ring-tailed lemurs make, including a howl
audible to humans at a distance of 1000 meters. They are capable of
arboreal
activity but are partly terrestrial.
Coat & coloration: The hindquarters are higher than the forequarters; the
head is small with a long pointed muzzle below front-facing eyes. The coat is a
brilliant pearl gray above, and whitish below. The tail is long
furry with about 14 black and white rings. The face has a black and white
mask, with amber-colored eyes.
The bare skin of the nose, palms, soles, and genitals is black.
Dental Formula: 2/2 I, 1/1 C, 3/3 PM, 3/3 M x 2 = 36 total. The upper
incisors are small and peglike. The first upper incisors are separated from
each other
by a wide space. The canines are
somewhat elongate, sharp, flattened and separated from the premolars by a
space. The lower incisors and
canines project forward and somewhat
upward forming a comb used in grooming.
Diet: Mostly
fruits, some leaves and other plant parts, and only rarely insects.
Nowak, Ronald M. (ed.) 1999. Walker’s Mammals of the World Vol. 2 (6th edition). The John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore
and London.
Alden, Peter C. et al. 1995. National Audubon Society Field Guide to African Wildlife. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York.