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| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
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| COMMON
NAME: |
ring-tailed
lemur |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Mammalia |
| ORDER: |
Primates |
| FAMILY: |
Lemuridae |
| GENUS
SPECIES: |
Lemur
(ghost, specter) catta (cat) |
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| DESCRIPTION: |
A
small primate with a conspicuous black and white
banded tail. |
| MALE |
Males
have a fingernail-like spur near each wrist that
emit a strong scent for marking territories. |
|
| SIZE: |
Tail
length = 599 mm (23.6 in) |
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| WEIGHT: |
|
| MALE |
2705
grams (95.4 ounces) |
| FEMALE |
2678
grams (94.5 ounces) |
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| DIET: |
70%
fruit, 25% leaves; 5% flowers |
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| GESTATION: |
Approximately
134-138 days; typically one offspring, two when
food is plentiful; mating season is from August
through September |
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| SEXUAL
MATURITY: |
21-30
months |
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| LIFE
SPAN: |
Average
approximately 27 years |
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| HABITAT: |
Scrub,
spiney dessert, dry, and gallery |
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| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
Unknown |
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| STATUS: |
IUCN |
Not
listed |
| CITES |
Appendix
I |
| USFWS |
Endangered |
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| 1. |
Ring-tailed
lemurs are the most terrestrial of all lemurs, spending
a great deal of time on the ground instead of the
trees. Males often have "stink fights"
in which they wave their tales (having been rubbed
on the strong-smelling wrist gland) at one another. |
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| 2. |
When
territory or other disputes take place within a
society, female lemurs always win. |
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| 3. |
Ring-tailed
lemurs do not have a stable hierarchy. In fact this
species is the only primate in which the infants
"grapple" for dominance. |
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| 4. |
Males
scent mark by rubbing the spur on the male's forearm
on the scent gland of the inner arm, then use it
to scar branches and leave their scent behind. |
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| 5. |
A
female lemur carries her newborn in her mouth until
the baby is able to cling to the fur on mother's
stomach or back. |
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Ring-tailed
lemurs are the only primate in Madagascar to make
extensive use of the ground. In addition, they
range farther into the interior highlands of Madagascar
than any other lemur species. This is an important
example of the amazing adaptive radiation of primates
exclusive to the island. With the widespread decrease
of these primates, Madagascar faces the threat
of losing a species, which fills an important
ecological role.
Ring-tailed
lemurs numbers are declining rapidly due to continuous
deforestation for the logging industry and plantations
as well as slash and burn agriculture. This species
can only survive in primary vegetation.
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| |
|
|
| Macdonald,
David. 1984. The Encyclopedia of Mammals. Vol.
1. Equinox Ltd., London. |
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| Mittermeier,RA.
1994. The Lemurs of Madagascar. Conservation
International. Washington, DC. |
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|
Norwak,
Ronald M. 1991. Walkers: Mammals of the World.
5th ed. Vol. 1. Johns Hopkins University Press,
Baltimore.
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| Preston-Mafham,
Rod and Ken. 1999. Primates of the World.
Sterling Pub., New York. |
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| Rowe,
Noel. 1996. The Pictorial Guide to the Living
Primates. Pogonios Press, NY. |
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