Ring-Tailed Lemur

1. Ring-Tailed Lemur

2. Classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Scientific Name: Lemur catta Common Name: Ring-tailed Lemur

3. Commonalities to Phylum Ring-tailed Lemurs share the following traits with all mammals and Chordates: Lemurs show the evolutionary advantage of having hair and mammal glands. Mammals were the 1st animals on earth to show these traits. Symmetry: Bilateral Body Cavity: Coelomate – all mammals have a full digestive system (tube within a tube) Lemurs are free-living non-parasitic, mostly herbivores that are terrestrial and live mostly in tress. Ring-tailed lemurs all show cephalization with three body regions (head, thorax, and abdomen)

4. 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.

5. Habitat/Niche Habitat Niche/Food Habits 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. • Lemurs are not meat eaters • Primary Diet = Herbivores • Animal foods = mostly insects • Plant foods = leaves, wood, bark, or stems, fruit, flowers, sap, or other plant fluids.

6. Interesting Behavior Ring-tailed lemurs live in very social groups ranging between 3-20 individuals. • 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. • 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

7. 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

8. Interesting Physical Traits • All Ring-tailed lemurs have a black and white tail • Ring-tailed lemurs also have a recognizable black and white triangular diamond pattern face.

9. References • http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/animals/creaturefeature/ring-tailed-lemur/ • http://www.honoluluzoo.org/ringtailed_lemur.htm • http://pin.primate.wisc.edu/factsheets/entry/ring-tailed_lemur