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Did You Know?
Unlike monkeys, lemurs have “wet” noses like a dog. The wet surface helps trap molecules from the air, important in lemurs’ good sense of smell.
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Ring-tailed lemur
Lemur catta
| Size |
Ring-tailed lemurs are about 17 inches long (head and body), and the tail is about two feet long.
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| Weight |
Average weight for a wild ring-tailed lemur is about 5 pounds. In zoos, they tend to weigh a little more, and average weight is about 6 pounds. Males and female are about the same size. |
| Conservation Status |
On the IUCN Red List for Threatened Species, the ring-tailed lemur is listed as Vulnerable. |
| Diet |
In the wild, ring-tailed lemurs eat a wide variety of foods, including fruit, leaves, flowers, bark, sap, herbs, insects and other small animals.
At the Zoo, lemurs eat a specially-formulated primate chow, as well as fresh produce such as carrots, oranges and brussel sprouts. The lemurs are also occasionally given other enrichment chows, raisins and yogurt.
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| Geographic Range |
There are more than 30 species of lemurs, most of which are found only on the island of Madagascar, located off the eastern coast of southern Africa. Ring-tailed lemurs live in both wet and dry areas of southwestern Madagascar. |
| Where to find me in the Zoo |
PECO Primate Reserve |
Note: Description below should include Longevity, Behavior, and Reproduction information
Ring-tailed lemurs have gray or brownish-gray fur on most of the body, with white fur on the belly, face and ears, and black patches around their brown eyes. Their most characteristic feature is the long tail, ringed in black and white.
Ring-tailed lemurs are found in dry forest and "spiny forest" habitats in southwestern Madagascar. Ring-tailed lemurs spend much of their time on the ground and this species is the only living semi-terrestrial lemur - all other living lemur species are much more arboreal.
Longevity
In the wild, it is rare for a female ring-tailed lemur to live beyond 16 years of age, and the oldest documented was between 18 and 20 years old (there is less information available on male longevity in the wild). In zoos, a typical lifespan for a ring-tailed lemur is about 17 or 18 years. Some ring-tailed lemurs in zoos live beyond 20 years of age, with maximum longevity in the early 30's. Just like humans, dogs, cats, or any other animal, “natural” lifespan for ring-tailed lemurs varies widely and most individuals don’t reach the maximum age.
Reproduction
Like most lemurs, ring-tailed lemurs have a particular breeding season. In the wild in Madagascar, in the southern hemisphere, most babies are born August-October. In zoos in the U.S., in the northern hemisphere, the breeding sesaon is reversed, and most babies are born March-May. This switch probably happens beacuse the lemurs' reproductive cycle is cued by changes in day length - the daylight period getting longer or shorter. Since these changes are reversed between Madagascar, in the southern hemisphere, and the U.S, in the northern, so is the ring-tailed lemur's breeding season.
The ring-tailed lemur gestation period is about four and a half months. Births are usually single, but twins are not uncommon. The mother initially carries the infant on her belly. Infants are usually weaned by about 5 months of age.
Behavior
A ring-tailed lemur troop is usually centered around a core group of females and their offspring. Group size can range from three to over twenty individuals.
Ring-tailed lemurs have scent glands on their wrists and upper arms. Males have a small spur near each wrist, which they use to scratch branches before rubbing their scent in to mark the location. Males also rub secretions from their glands on their tail and then wave the tail around during aggressive interactions with other males, dispersing the scent. These interactions are sometime scalled "stink fights."
Logan: Female, born on March 28, 2001 at the Birmingham Zoo. Arrived at the
Philadelphia Zoo on August 4, 2003 with her mother, Jasmine.
Iris: Female, born on May 3, 2005 at the Philadelphia Zoo.
Keiran: Male, born on June 11, 2005. He arrived at the Zoo on September 30, 2009 from the Indianapolis Zoo.
Enrichment
Adoption Information
Featured Foster Parent
The ring-tailed lemurs often sit with their arms outstretched and their faces-eyes closed turned up toward the sun, giving the appearance of sunbathing.
Enrichment
Fun Facts
Ring-tailed lemurs keep their tails high in the air to signal others in their group to follow them.
Male lemurs compete amongst themselves by secreting a perfume and rubbing it onto their tails. They then point their tails at other males in what are known as "stink fights."
Conservation
Introductions
Animal Lingo
Want More?
Sources:
1) Philadelphia Zoo staff; 2) Cawthon Lang KA. 2005 September 21. Primate Factsheets: Ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta) Taxonomy, Morphology, & Ecology. . Accessed 2007 September 3; 3) Mittermeier, R.A., et al. (2006). Lemurs of Madagascar, 2nd ed. Colombia: Conservation International; 4) Villers, L. (2007). North American Regional Studbook Ring-Tailed Lemur (Lemur catta), Vol. 15. Indianapolis, IN: Indianapolis Zoological Society; 5) IUCN 2007. 2007 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. www.iucnredlist.org. Downloaded on 04 January 2008.
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