Ring-Tailed Lemur
Classification
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Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Scientific Name: Lemur catta
Common Name: Ring-tailed Lemur
Commonalities to Phylum
Ring-tailed Lemurs share the following traits with all
mammals and Chordates:
1) Lemurs show the evolutionary advantage of having hair
and mammal glands. Mammals were the 1st animals on
earth to show these traits.
2) Symmetry: Bilateral
3) Body Cavity: Coelomate – all mammals have a full
digestive system (tube within a tube)
4) Lemurs are free-living non-parasitic, mostly herbivores
that are terrestrial and live mostly in tress.
5) Ring-tailed lemurs all show cephalization with three
body regions (head, thorax, and abdomen)
Breeding/Life Cycle
Breeding
Lifecylce
Breeding Interval
Females are capable of breeding annually.
Breeding Season
Breeds from mid April through June
Number of Offspring
1 to 2
Gestation Period
4 to 4.5 months
Birth Mass
70.6 g (average)
Time to Weaning
5 month (high)
Age at Sexual or Reproductive Maturity
(female)
3 years (average)
Age at Sexual or Reproductive Maturity (male)
2.5 years (average)
Extreme Lifespan (captivity)
33 + years (high)
Average Lifespan (wild)
27.1 years
Average lifespan (captivity)
30 years (female)
Ring-tailed lemurs breed polygymously.
Meaning they do not mate with just one
mate. They typically live in multi-male
or multi-female troops. Most troops
have one male with several females he
mates with. Females are mostly the care
givers. They provide the food, shelter,
and grooming of the young.
Habitat/Niche
Habitat
Ring-tailed lemurs prefer to spend
most of their time in the trees
of Euphorbia (cactus like)
bushes. They do spend time
on the ground but prefer to be
in the trees.
They are mostly found in the
south end of Madagascar in the
Berenty Reserve. This reserve
contains three different types
of forests ranging from cactus
like bushes/trees to tall canopy
trees to spiny trees.
Niche/Food Habits
 Lemurs are not meat eaters
 Primary Diet = Herbivores
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Animal foods = mostly insects
Plant foods = leaves, wood,
bark, or stems, fruit, flowers,
sap, or other plant fluids.
Interesting Behavior
Ring-tailed lemurs live in very social
groups ranging between 3-20
individuals.
1.
Females are dominant to males and
all females take part in raising the
young. Infanticide (killing of a
baby) is very rare. Males usually
leave the group at sexual maturity.
2.
Ring-tail lemurs are famous for
their STINK FIGHTS. During the
mating season both sexes fight with
each other. Males will rub their
tails with scents from glands in
their wrists and genitals, and then
aim their tails at their opponents.
The Ring-tailed Lemur
Ecosystem Roles Affects
Ecosystem Role
Lemurs serve as seed dispersers
Negative Impact
No negative impact is known to
humans
Positive Impact
Lemurs provide positive income
as popular tourist attractions
Conservation
Ring-tailed lemurs are considered
threatened
Interesting Physical Traits
1)
2)
All Ring-tailed lemurs
have a black and white
tail
Ring-tailed lemurs also
have a recognizable
black and white
triangular diamond
pattern face.
References
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http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/animal
s/creaturefeature/ring-tailed-lemur/
http://www.honoluluzoo.org/ringtailed_lemur.
htm
http://pin.primate.wisc.edu/factsheets/entry/rin
g-tailed_lemur