Ringtail Lemur

Distribution and Habitat
Ringtailed lemurs cover much of the southern part of Madagascar.  All lemurs are arboreal, or tree-dwelling, but can spend time on the ground as well.  They have adapted to the dryer areas of the “spiny forests”, as well as flourishing in the dense scrub forest and riverine closed-canopy forests of the southwest.  Ringtailed lemurs are notable for spending about half their time on the ground, and can live in treeless areas, foraging on smaller plants and shrubs. 

Taxonomy and Physical Description
Ringtailed lemurs (Lemur catta) are part of the Lemuridae family, which is a family of pro-simians, related to monkeys and apes, and includes all the lemurs on Madagascar. Lemurs vary considerably in size and color.  Ring-tailed lemurs are light-gray to gray-brown on their body, with white patches on their face and muzzle.  They have large cat-like ears with white ruffs.  They are most well-known for their long black and white ringed tail which is longer than both body and head.  Individuals have scent glands with which they mark territory and communicate.    

Diet and Health
Ringtailed lemurs are predominantly herbivores, eating fruits, leaves, herbs, tree sap, and other plant parts.  When it is in season, ringtails will forage on fruit, eating the seed coverings of the tamarind tree fruit.  However, occasionally they will eat insects, and small vertebrates.  Ringtails forage for food in an area of 15-37 acres, depending on the density of the forest and the availability of food.  Lemurs, like most apes are fairly long-lived.  They have been recorded for up to 20 years in the wild and the oldest in captivity was over 35 years. 

Social Behavior and Reproduction
Ringtailed lemurs live in large social groups of 5-25 individuals.  The groups are led by a dominant female, and made up of her female offspring and a few non-related males.  Social grooming is the glue holding the group together.  Lemurs have modified incisor and canine teeth that act like combs for grooming themselves and members of their group.  Ringtails are also territorial, with one group’s territory butting up against another.  Territory is marked both with scent marking and calls.  Lemurs have many different calls for different reasons, including mating. 
Female lemurs reach maturity at two years, and reproduce annually, usually at the start of the monsoons in the fall, giving birth to one to two offspring.  The newborn clings to its mothers belly for the first month, feeding on milk.  At 4 weeks, it will switch and ride on its mother’s back, and begin foraging and eating other food.  It will travel with its mother until 6 months, when it becomes independent. 

Zoo News
Madagascar! will be a new exhibit at the Bronx Zoo.  It will highlight the world’s fourth largest island, off Africa’s east coast, home to a startling array of endemic flora and fauna such as the fascinating ring-tailed lemur, radiated tortoise, Nile crocodile, and a unique mammalian predator known as the fossa. Madagascar! will feature the country’s wealth of wildlife diversity in a spectacular and authentic reproduction of  several habitats representative of that island nation. A replica of a bizarre arid forest of spiny trees found in the dry south of Madagascar will occupy the central gallery of the exhibit and will be home to the charismatic ring-tailed lemurs and brown lemurs. The “spiny forest” will also feature the radiated tortoise, a rare reptile native only to the southern portion of the island of Madagascar. Each animal and environment in this exhibit will be part of a larger mission to depict wild creatures in their natural landscapes and to showcase the work of WCS to preserve Earth’s remaining wild places and the wildlife within them.

Conservation of Lemurs
With its extraordinary, yet highly threatened endemic biodiversity, Madagascar is a global conservation priority. Poverty and unsustainable resource use are leading to the depletion of the island's biodiversity and having dramatic impacts on the mostly rural population. However, as Madagascar enters the third phase of its national environmental action plan, there is a new vision for the sustainable development of the country.  Because they are tree-dwelling species, ring-tailed lemurs are threatened by deforestation. 

WCS is a key partner in this country-wide conservation plan, which encompasses the involvement of communities and the establishment of protected areas in an integrated approach to development and conservation. WCS has worked in Madagascar for over 13 years in site-based programs and on species-based conservation.  In the overall aim to inform sustainable resource use in Madagascar's unique terrestrial and marine environments, WCS' work is integrated in national and regional conservation planning and policy development initiatives.