Range: South and Southwestern Madagascar from Fort-Dauphin and as far north as Morandava on the west coast.
Habitat: Arid, open areas and forests, spending as much as 40% of their time on the ground.
Description: Ring-tailed lemur backs are gray to rosy brown, limbs and haunches are gray, and their heads and neck are dark gray. Their undersides are white, and their faces are white with dark triangular eye patches and black noses. Their tails are ringed with 13 alternating black and white bands, giving this lemur its common name. They have large round eyes, and nails on all digits except second digit of hind foot which has a sharp claw for grooming.
Adaptations/Habitat: The ring-tailed lemur is also known as 'maki catta.' Unlike other lemurs, it has abandoned a tree-dwelling existence for a terrestrial one, preferring to stay on the ground and walking about with its tail held erect like flags to keep group members together. They are agile in trees, and can jump gaps of several yards wide. They are diurnal and often sun themselves. They are sociable, living in troops of between 15-20 individuals, with females dominant to males. Females remain in the group to which they were born for their entire lives, while males may change groups when they reach maturity. Social bonds are established and reinforced by grooming. They have 6 lower teeth that stick straight out from their jaw, forming a comb that they use for grooming. They possess a hairless glandular region inside forearm above wrist and also on their chests which they use to mark their foraging routes. Males also have a horny spur on each wrist gland that they use to pierce tree branches before scent marking them. Ring-tailed lemurs are one of the most vocal primates, they have several different alarm calls to alert members to potential danger.
Breeding/Growth:
Diet: Fruit, leaves, flowers, herbs, and other plant parts. They also occasionally eat insects and small vertebrate prey. Example foods include: wild figs, bananas, and fig thistles. They drink sparingly in the wild, quenching thirst with juicy fruits.
