This agile and adaptable lemur only lives in the island of Madagascar and can jump from tree to tree in massive leaps.
I have had the pleasure of their company at Colchester Zoo for a fantastic keeper experience that I would highly recommend.
Size
This lemur is one of the biggest species and weighs an approximate of 6 pounds (3 kilograms),in length can be 39 to 46cm (not including tail).
Location
South-western Madagascar, in arid shrubland and forests. due to Madagascar’s isolation the lemur is still alive today.
Lemur Population
In the wild there is roughly 2,000 ring tailed lemurs,because of this Lemurs are Critically endangered. They are threatened by deforestation and hunting for there beautiful striped coat. Even though most of their habitats are protected, poachers and hunters still succeed .
Prosimian Family Group
The ring tailed lemur is categorised in the group prosimians and is one of the most well known. Due to their nature and character they are one of my favourite. Lets have a look at other primates.
Diet
Ringtails eat leaves, flowers and insects but if need-be can eat fruits, herbs and small vertebrates such as frogs and geckos.
Predators
A ring tailed lemurs main predator is the Fossa. The Fossa is like a small, tree climbing cat like animal with razor sharp teeth, which can hunt them on the ground or in the trees.
Fun Facts
Did you know that these lemurs have 13 alternating black and white bands. Surprisingly for a lemur it spends more than 40% of its life on the ground foraging whilst looking for danger.
