Ring-tailed Lemur
From Freepedia
| Ring-tailed Lemur Conservation status: Vulnerable | ||||||||||||||||
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| Lemur catta Linnaeus, 1758 | ||||||||||||||||
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The Ring-tailed Lemur is a relatively large prosimian, a lemur belonging to the family Lemuridae. Ring-tailed Lemurs are the only species within the genus Lemur and are found only on the island of Madagascar.
Although threatened by habitat destruction and therefore listed as vulnerable by the IUCN Red List, Ring-tailed Lemurs are the most populous lemurs in zoos worldwide; they reproduce readily in captivity.
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Physical description
Mostly grey with white underparts, Ring-tailed Lemurs have slender frames; their narrow faces are white with black lozenge-shaped patches around the eyes, and black vulpine muzzles. The lemurs' trademark, their long, bushy tails, are ringed in black and white. Like all lemurs, Ring-tailed Lemurs have hind limbs longer than their forelimbs; their palms and soles are padded with soft, leathery skin. Their fingers are slender and dextrous with flat, sharp nails. Ring-tailed Lemurs have claws on the second toe of the hind limb specialized for grooming purposes.
The very young animals have blue eyes while the eyes of adults are all a striking yellow. Adults may reach a body length of 46 centimetres (18 inches) and a weight of 5.5 kilograms (12 pounds). Their tails are longer than their bodies, at up to 56 centimetres (22 inches) in length.
Habitat and diet
Found in the southwest of Madagascar and ranging the farthest into highland areas than any other lemur, Ring-tailed Lemurs inhabit deciduous forests with grass floors, or forests along riverbanks (gallery forests); some may also inhabit dry, open brush where few trees grow. Ring-tailed Lemurs are thought to require primary forest (that is, forests which have remained undisturbed by human activity) in order to survive; such forests are now being cleared at a troubling rate.
While primarily frugivores (fruit-eating), Ring-tailed Lemurs will also eat leaves, seeds, and the odd insect.
Behaviour and reproduction
Ring-tailed lemurs are diurnal and inhabit both the ground (terrestrial) and the trees (arboreal), and form troops of up to 25 individuals. Social hierarchies are determined by sex, with a distinct hierarchy for each gender; females tend to dominate the troop, while males will alternate between troops. The lemurs claim a sizable territory which does not overlap with those of other troops; up to 5.6 kilometres (3.5 miles) of this territory may be covered in a single day's foraging. Despite being a good deal arboreal, they spend more time on the ground than any other lemur.
Both vocal and olfactory signals are important to Ring-tailed Lemurs' communication: fifteen distinct vocalizations are used. A fatty substance is exuded from glands of the lemurs' anus and armpits, which the lemurs run their tails through; this scent is used by both sexes to mark territory, and to challenge would-be rivals amongst males. The males wave their tails vigorously high in the air in an attempt to overpower the scent of others.
The breeding season runs from April to June, with the female in estrous for only one day. Gestation lasts for about 146 days, resulting in a litter of either one or two. The young lemurs begin to eat solid food after two months and are fully weaned after five months. Males reach sexual maturity at 2.5 years and females at just 19.5 months.
When threatened, however, Ring-tailed Lemurs have been known to strike out with their short talons and kill, in some cases even eating the enemy or rival. This action is extremely rare, but has been known to occur during the spring mating season when tensions are high and competition is present within and between Ring-tailed Lemur colonies. Only one attack on a human by a Ring-tailed Lemur has ever been documented in America. The event happened at the Minnesota Zoo in Bloomington, Minnesota after a small boy entered the Ring-tailed Lemur exhibit while on a school field trip and threw a pebble at a Ring-tailed Lemur. The boy was scatched and bitten and brought to a nearby hospital, escaping further injury. The Ring-tailed Lemur that attacked was euthanized later that day.
Reference
- Padilla, Howie. "Child Injured at New Zoo Exhibit." Star Tribune 12 Oct. 2001, sec. B: 1+.
