Lemur

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Lemurs

The "Pre-Monkey": As a presimian, a primate suborder that means "pre-monkey," the lemur has a black, doglike snout. Their sense of smell is acute and specially designed eyes facilitate night vision. Lemurs have long bodies, long limbs and bushy tails, and come in a variety of colors — brown, black, red and even white. They live mainly in trees, running and leaping from branch to branch.

Curious Calls: Lemurs communicate with each other through a series of calls. Some lemurs, such as the indri, produce loud wailing calls to mark their territory while the sifaka defines its home range with "shi-fak" calls that sound like hiccups. Lemurs are endangered due to deforestation.

DID YOU KNOW?

Married to Madagascar: All 90-some species of lemur are native only to the island of Madagascar off the coast of Africa.

Not a Good Mix: A third of the lemur population has gone extinct since humans settled Madagascar.

Ladies in Charge: In lemur society, the females are the dominant members of the social hierarchy. This social structure is seldom seen among mammals.

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The Ring-Tailed Lemur

Ring-Tailed Lemur Profile
Lemurs are primates found only on the African island of Madagascar and some tiny neighboring islands. Because of its geographic isolation, Madagascar is home to many amazing animals found nowhere else on Earth. Lemurs may have floated there eons ago on "rafts" of vegetation and evolved in isolation over countless centuries.

Ring-tailed lemurs are unmistakable because of their long, vividly striped, black-and-white tail. They are familiar residents of many zoos.

Lemurs use their hands and feet to move nimbly through the trees, but cannot grip with their tails as some of their primate cousins do. Ring-tailed lemurs also spend a lot of time on the ground, which is unusual among lemur species. They forage for fruit, which makes up the greater part of their diet, but also eat leaves, flowers, tree bark, and sap.

Ring-tailed lemurs have powerful scent glands and use their unique odor as a communication tool and even as a kind of weapon. Lemurs mark their territory by scent, serving notice of their presence to all who can smell. During mating season, male lemurs battle for dominance by trying to outstink each other. They cover their long tails with smelly secretions and wave them in the air to determine which animal is more powerful.

Ring-tailed lemurs live in groups known as troops. These groups may include 6 to 30 animals, but average about 17. Both sexes live in troops, but a dominant female presides over all.

Ring-tailed lemurs are endangered, largely because the sparse, dry forests they love are quickly vanishing.

Ring-Tailed Lemur Range (In the yellow)

Fast Facts

Type: Mammal
Diet: Herbivore
Average lifespan in the wild: Up to 18 years
Size: Head and body, 17.75 in (45 cm); Tail, 21.75 in (55 cm)
Weight: 5 to 7.5 lbs (2.3 to 3.4 kg)
Group name: Troop
Protection status: Endangered

Size relative to a 6-ft (2-m) man

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Credit:

Information © AnimalPlanet.com
Information & Pictures © NationalGeographic.com