Ring-tailed lemur
| Ring-tailed Lemur[1] | |
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| Genus: | Lemur Linnaeus, 1758
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| Species: | L. catta
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| Binomial name | |
| Lemur catta Linnaeus, 1758
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The Ring-tailed Lemur (Lemur catta) is a large prosimian, a lemur belonging to the family Lemuridae. The Ring-tailed Lemur is the only species within the monotypic genus Lemur and, like all other lemurs, is found only on the island of Madagascar.
Although threatened by habitat destruction and therefore listed as vulnerable by the IUCN Red List, the Ring-tailed Lemur is the most populous lemur in zoos worldwide; they reproduce readily in captivity.
Physical description
Mostly grey with white underpants, the Ring-tailed Lemur has a slender frame; its narrow face is white with black lozenge-shaped patches around the eyes, and a black vulpine muzzle. The lemur's trademark, a long, bushy tail, is ringed in twenty-six black and white rings. The tail always begins with a white stripe and ends with a black one.
Like all lemurs, the Ring-tailed Lemur has hind limbs longer than its forelimbs; the palms and soles are padded with soft, leathery skin. Its fingers are slender and semi-dexterous with flat, human-like nails. Also in common with all lemurs, the Ring-tailed Lemur has one claw, known as a cleaning claw, on the second toe of each hind limb specialized for grooming purposes. Additionally, these primates groom orally by licking and tooth-scraping with narrow, procumbent lower incisors and canines, called a tooth comb.
The species' eyes can be a bright yellow or orange, which stay the same color from the time they are born. Adults may reach a body length of 46 centimetres (18 inches) and a weight of 5.5 kilograms (12 pounds). Their tails are longer than their bodies, at up to 56 centimetres (22 inches) in length..
Habitat and diet
Found in the southwest of Madagascar and ranging further into highland areas than any other lemur, the Ring-tailed Lemur inhabits deciduous forests with grass floors, or forests along riverbanks (gallery forests); some also inhabit wet, closed brush where few trees grow. The Ring-tailed Lemur is thought to require primary forest (that is, forests which have remained undisturbed by human activity) in order to survive; such forests have now been cleared from much of Madagascar.
The Ring-tailed Lemur primarily eats fruits and leaves, particularly those of the tamarind tree (Tamarindus indica). When available, tamarind can make up as much as 50% of the Ring-tailed Lemur's diet annually. The Ring-tailed Lemur is also known to eat flowers, herbs, bark, and sap. Additionally, it has been observed eating decayed wood, earth, insects, and small vertebrates.[3]
Natural History
The Ring-tailed Lemur is diurnal, inhabits both the ground (terrestrial) and the trees (arboreal), and forms troops of up to 25 individuals. Social hierarchies are determined by sex. Females have a distinct hierarchy but males have a non-linear hierarchy with occasional to frequent rank reversals; females socially dominate male in all circumstances, including feeding priority. Males tend to be marginalized from group activity, and will alternate between troops approximately every 3.5 years. Ring-tailed Lemur troops claim sizeable territories which may overlap with those of other troops; up to 5.6 kilometres (3.5 miles) of this territory may be covered in a single day's foraging. Despite being considerably arboreal, they spend more time on the ground than any other living lemur.
Both vocal and olfactory signals are important to the Ring-tailed Lemur's communication: fifteen distinct vocalizations are used to maintain group cohesion during foraging and alert group members to the presence of a predator. Male and female lemurs scent mark with their genital regions, which are enriched with apocrine and sebaceous scent glands. Male lemurs also possess antebrachial glands on their wrists and brachial glands on the axillary surface of their shoulders. These glands secrete a greasy substance which is used to demarcate territories and maintain intragroup dominance hierarchies. Males also possess a thorny spur that overlays the antebrachial gland on each wrist and these are scraped against tree trunks to create grooves anointed with their scent. In displays of aggression, males will engage in a social display behaviour called "stink fighting," which involves impregnating their tails with secretions from the antebrachial and brachial glands, and then waving the scented tail at male rivals. Males will also occasionally wave their scented tails at females as a form of sexual overture; this usually results in the female cuffing or biting the male, and elicits subordinate vocalizations from the would-be paramour. Despite being primarily quadrupedal, the Ring-tailed Lemur can rear up and balance on its hind legs, usually for aggressive displays.
In the mornings, Ring-tailed Lemurs ritually sunbathe to warm themselves. They face the sun, sitting in what is frequently described as a "sun-worshipping" posture or Lotus position. However, they sit with their legs extended outward, not cross-legged, and will often support themselves on nearby branches. Sunning is often a group activity.
Ring-tailed Lemurs have both natural and introduced predators. Native predators include the Fossa (Cryptoprocta ferox), Madagascar Harrier-hawk (Polyboroides radiatus), Madagascar Buzzard (Buteo brachypterus), and the Madagascar Ground Boa (Acrantophis madagascariensis). Introduced predators include the Small Indian Civet (Viverricula indica), domestic cats, domestic dogs and humans.[4]
The breeding season runs from April to June, with the female in estrus for approximately 24-48 hours. Gestation lasts for about 146 days, resulting in a birth of either one or two offspring. The young lemurs begin to eat solid food after two months and are fully weaned after five months. Males reach sexual maturity at 2.5 years and females at 19.5 months.
When threatened, the Ring-tailed Lemur has been known to strike out with its short nails in a behaviour termed 'jump fighting'. This action is extremely rare outside of the breeding season when tensions are high and competition for access to mates is intense.
References
- ^ Groves, C. P. (2005). Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 117. ISBN 0-801-88221-4. OCLC 62265494.
- ^ Template:IUCN2006 Listed as Vulnerable (VU A1c v2.3)
- ^ Ganzhorn, Jörg U.; et al. (2006). Lemurs of Madagascar (2nd Edition ed.). Conservation International. pp. page 248.
{{cite book}}:|edition=has extra text (help);|pages=has extra text (help); Explicit use of et al. in:|author=(help) - ^ Ganzhorn, Jörg U.; et al. (2006). Lemurs of Madagascar (2nd Edition ed.). Conservation International. pp. page 248.
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