Ring Tailed Lemur or L. catta
Project by Megan Logue
Class
Ring Tailed Lemurs are class Mammalia
Evolutionary Relationships
Their closest relatives are the gentle lemurs
Habitat
Ring Tailed Lemurs is only found in Southern and Southwestern Madagascar. Because their food is found in trees, they live near trees at all times.They can be called terrestrial because they actually spend more time on the ground than any other lemur. They also prefer to rest on horisontal branches.
Type of Diet
Ring Tailed Lemurs eat different plants and fruits. They really like tamarind pods, and other various fruits found in trees. As a water source, they sometimes lick rainwater or dew from leaves. If they cannot find any rainwater, they will sometimes go to a river to find water.
Social Interactions
Ring Tailed Lemurs live in groups of around twenty. Troops travel together from different areas of trees. They often sit together in clumps to create closeness for grooming. If a lemur wants to be groomed, it presents a body part to a partner, and the partner will groom it. Grooming is usually done with both lemurs grooming each other at the same time. They also take part in play by chasing each other and wrestling. They are very vocal, and use barks, howls, screams, clicks and purring.
How do they move?
The Ring Tailed Lemur walks or runs on the ground and on the tops of branches, and keeps its tail standing up for balance. I have included a picture from my visit to the zoo below to demonstrate.
Endangered Status
Because of the destruction of their habitat, Ring Tailed Lemurs have become an endangered species.
Interesting Facts
- Lemurs come from Madagascar
- The television show Zooboomafoo made ring tailed lemurs as popular as they are today
- Most lemur societies are dominated by females
- A female lemur carries her baby in her mouth until it is strong enough to cling onto her back.