Ring-tailed lemur

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Family: Lemuridae

Order: Primates

Genus: Lemur-catta

Species: Ring Tailed

Evolution

Subspecies of the Ring Tailed Lemur include Lemur tardigradus, Lemur catta (the ring-tailed lemur), and Lemur volans (the Philippine colugo, now known as Cynocephalus volans).

Fossils found in Africa suggest that the Ring Tailed Lemurs have been around in Madagascar for 40-50 million years.

The closest living relative to this species is the Bamboo Lemur.

Lemurs are thought to have evolved during the Eocene or earlier, sharing a closest common ancestor with lorises, pottos, and galagos (lorisoids).

Description

Ring-tailed lemur backs are gray to rosy brown with gray limbs and dark gray heads and necks. They have white bellies. Their faces are white with dark triangular eye patches and a black nose. Typically in the wild, Ring-tailed lemurs live 16-19 years.

Characteristics

An adult Ring-tailed lemur usually weighs in at around 5 lbs. Their tails can be up to 2 feet long, with a unique feature of 13 alternating black and white bands.

Other info

Whereas male ring-tailed lemurs have multiple scent glands, females have just one scent gland, which is located in the genital area. Researcher Christine Drea has discovered that female ring-tails' scent is more complex than the males. As of weight, males usually weigh more than females.

Description of habitat

Ring-tailed lemurs live in southwestern Madagascar. There are many plants that are native to Madagascar and many plants that survive through the drought. these include papyrus stalks, Catharanthus roseus, and over 900 species of the orchid family of plants. On average, Madagascar gets 3,700 mm of rain annually. This usually occurs on their hot & rainy season between November and April. There is a variety of animals on the island, include many other species of lemurs. Some of the other animals include shrews, many species of frogs, snakes, zebus, and elephant birds. Madagascar's terrain includes a narrow coastal plain, with high plateau and mountains in center. The November to April rainy season is the hottest time of year in Madagascar. Minimum temperatures average around 73 F and maximum temperatures reach 90 F. The other months of the year typically have temperatures ranging between 75°F and 55°F. but evenings and early mornings are cooler with temperatures.

Distribution

Madagascar is the world's fifth largest island, situated in the Indian Ocean off the coast of southern Africa. Ring-tailed lemurs are not an invasive species, only being found in Madagascar and some neighboring islands.

Diet

Ringtails eat leaves, flowers and insects. They can also eat fruit, herbs and small vertebrates. They need to eat at least twice a day with a variety of insects and plants. They spend a lot of time on the terrestrial ground, and this includes time searching for food. Ring-tailed lemurs have opposable thumbs that allow them to grab an assortment of food for their diets. Their favorite food is usually fruits, especially figs.

Social structure

Ring-tailed lemurs live found in social groups ranging in size from three to 25 individuals. The groups include multiple males and females. Females spend their whole lives in their birth group. There is an alpha female that stays in the group, meanwhile males go from group to group. They communicate through scent marking and vocalizing, including 15 different vocalizations (for example, one for predators.) Ring tailed lemurs help the community by spreading seeds around to grow more plants.

Reproduction

Females usually give birth to their first baby when they are three years old, and usually once a year every year after that. But, in human care, females can have their first offspring as early as 18 months old. Females are sexually receptive for one to two days each year, and estrus may be as short as 6 to 24 hours. With females staying in the same group, they have less mates throughout their lives than males do. They give birth to one lemur at a time, with pregnancy lasting about 4.5 months, giving birth around August or September. Mating rituals include "stink fighting" between males, using their odor glands to outlast one another.

Development

At 3 days of age, they are able to climb on their mothers body. By 2 weeks, they are carried on their mother's back and can grasp branches. Typically climb by 3 weeks, ingest solid food by 6 weeks, and reach nearly adult size before their 1st birthday. Females having the ability to conceive at the age of 19 ½ months, males are sexually mature at 19 – 20 months. In the morning, they like to sit in the sun to warm up. Mid-day, troops travel across the forest to find food. Whereas male ring-tailed lemurs have multiple scent glands, females have just one scent gland, which is located in the genital area.

Causes of death

Ring-tailed lemurs main natural predators are the Madagascar harrier-hawk, Madagascar buzzard and fossas. They do not kill each other during sexual competition. Many causes of death through disease includes diabetes, neoplasia, bacterial pneumonia, Herpesvirus hominis (virus of herpes simplex), fungal skin infections, and hydatid disease.

Although it's illegal, lemurs are hunted and taken from the wild in Madagascar for food, for the pet trade, and sometimes because of cultural beliefs.

Competition

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