The ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta) is one of Madagascar’s most recognizable and cherished residents. It stands out for its clear black-and-white striped tail and has the kind of expressive features that makeit a favorite amog visitors at wildlife parks. These social beings often occupy the dry forests and scrublands of southern Madagascar. They live in troops, which are matriarchal, and they are led by females.The ring-tailed lemur is under serious threat from a number of sources.
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Physical Description
The ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta) is a striking primate with physical characteristics that contribute to its unique appearance aspect and play a vital role in its social behavior and environmental adaptation.
Bushy tail: One of the most notable features of the ring-tailed lemur is its long, bushy tail, approximately 60 cm (23.6 inches), boasting alternating black and white rings. This tail serves multiple functions. It is a remarkable tool for balance, enabling the lemur to traverse their arboreal environment. But perhaps what is even more remarkable is how the tail is used in social interactions. The ring-tailed lemur is a highly social animal, and its tail is intricate in the communicatory “language” that they utilize to maintain social cohesion.
Colors: Colors on the bodies of ring-tailed lemurs range from light reddish-gray to dark red-brown. Their rumps and limbs tend to be lighter and gray to dark brown, which—in combination with their coloration and striking facial features—might provide camouflage as they move about the trees and the ground in their forested habitats. These features, including a white face with dark brown or black patches around the eyes, a light brown eye accent, and a black muzzle, are not for looks alone. They are for communication—visual signals that enhance communication among individuals in the troop.
Ears: The ears of the lemur are a distinctive characteristic. They are white and angular, like a cat’s ears. The shape of the ears may have something to do with their hearing. Auditory capabilities in the ring-tailed lemur may be better than in most other primates.
Size & Weight: The size of the ring-tailed lemur is pretty consistent in both sexes. They measure around 1.39 feet (42.5 cm) from head to tail. In the wild, they generally weigh about 4.87 to 4.89 pounds (2207 to 2213 grams), while those in captivity tend to weigh a little more. Males in captivity average about 5.96 pounds (2705 grams), while females typically weigh around 5.90 pounds (2678 grams). The weight difference may be due to the different environments the two groups live in.
Scent glands: Their anatomy is quite interesting, especially the male’s scent glands. Lemurs have scent glands located on their wrists and chests and on their anogenital areas. They use these areas to mark territory and attract mates. For lemurs, olfactory communication is the key social signal, and scent plays an enormous role in establishing dominance and reproductive status.
Dental traits: They have a dental comb, which consists of long, narrow teeth in the lower jaw that project forward. On a level of basic grooming, this comb is an excellent tool for keeping long, hairy body parts free of dirt and parasites.
Behavior
Living in groups of 10 to 30, lemurs groom each other in a show of good will that is necessary in such a close-knit society. A troop’s social order may seem to reflect a kind of “every lemur for itself” philosophy, but that is far from the truth. Lemurs enjoy a largely placid existence, but the behavior of their dominant females, especially in resource allocation and mating rights, ensures that such a state prevails.
Vocalizations: Remarkable vocalizations serve both social and nonsocial purposes for these lemurs. Calls made by the animals can easily be deciphered by trained researchers who closely observe the troops in their natural habitats. Nonsocial calls may be far more important to the lemurs than once thought. These calls signal the presence of a threat and direct specific troop members to take action to maintain the safety and security of a troop.
Grooming: Ring-tailed lemurs also partake in a repertoire of nonverbal behaviors, such as grooming and physical displays, that serve to bolster the social bonds and hierarchies they maintain within the troop. Grooming is a crucial social activity that allows individuals to strengthen and solidify their relationships.
Gait and tail: Among the lemurs, the ring-tailed lemur is unique for its terrestrial behavior. It is often seen foraging and moving on the ground and is adept at navigating the various layers of its forest habitat.They move by walking or running on all fours, holding their tails almost vertically with the tip curving away from the body, forming the shape of a question mark.
Fantastic Facts
- Their stomachs have less fur than the rest of their bodies, so they often face their bellies toward the sun to stay warm.
- Other names include: maki (Malagasy), lemur colianillado (Spanish), katta, kattlemur, or ringsvanslemur (Swedish), and lémur catta (French).
- A Ring-tailed lemur was spotted outside a Texas bar in 2024. A ring-tailed lemur was seen at Mickey’s Bar and Grill in Aransas Pass, eluding all attempts to catch it. The owner was out of town when two lemurs initially escaped.
The Scientific Classification of the Ring-tailed Lemur
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Mammalia
- Order: Primates
- Suborder: Strepsirrhini
- Family: Lemuridae
- Genus: Lemur
- Species: Lemur catta
Diet
The diet of ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta) is best described as opportunistic omnivory, reflecting a paleontological past that led to a genus capably adapting to diverse ecological niches. The ring-tailed lemur’s feeding strategy has shifted over time as a result of fruit availability in their respective habitats. Yes, they do eat a small amount of animal protein, but that is most pronounced in their opportunistic behavior of preying upon invertebrates such as spiders, caterpillars, cicadas, and other not-so-mobile insects. More often than not, our primate cousins are foraging on the fruits and leaves of a diverse collection of plants and trees.
Conservation and Status
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) estimates that the ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta) is experiencing a very high risk of extinction today, one of the highest of any primate species. The IUCN attributes this estimation to two main threats: habitat destruction and exploitation. The ring-tailed lemur was a flagship species for my doctoral work, as I saw firsthand the combined threats darkening their immediate future in certain locales of Madagascar.
The ring-tailed lemur lives in the harshest environment of any lemur. Lemur catta endures the intense heat and long dry season of south-central Madagascar by resorting to a kind of pseudo-hibernation in the mornings, when it conserves energy by curling up in a tight ball in the shade.
A project to obtain a free-ranging breeding population of ring-tailed lemurs for research purposes has been established on St. Catherine’s Island, Georgia. The project is under the leadership of the Stony Brook University and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in partnership with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.This population might one day help restock parks in Madagascar. Nearly 2,000 ring-tailed lemurs are currently in captivity.
