Ring-tailed lemur
- The lifespan of ring-tailed lemurs ranges from 34 to 37 years. This is one of the longest-living lemur species.
- The ring-tailed lemur uses its tail for “stink fights”: males rub it with glandular secretions and wave it at rivals.
- Male ring-tailed lemurs use the sharp tips of their fingers to scratch the bark of young trees, and glands on their feet secrete a strong odor to mark territory boundaries.
- The weight of the ring-tailed lemur can reach 3.5 kg, with the tail weighing more than 1.5 kg. This makes the tail almost half the animal's body weight.
- Ring-tailed lemurs are very intelligent and can go mad from boredom if they have no toys. They constantly need some sort of activity.
- Lemurs have female dominance: any adult female outranks any male.
- In captivity they have lived more than 25 years.
- The tail serves as a flag so the group does not get lost.
- Lemurs can solve simple arithmetic problems.
- The lemur has a toothcomb for grooming.
Age
Ringtailed lemurs typically live from 18 to 25 years, with a maximum lifespan of 39 years; the theoretical lifespan ranges from 18 years and 8 months to 37 years and 4 months. The species reaches sexual maturity between 1 year 11 months and 3 years of age. The embryo develops inside the mother for approximately four months. The young are born with open eyes and immediately cling to the mother’s fur, riding on her back for the first few months; this infant stage lasts from 1 day to 6 months. The adult stage begins at 2 years and can last up to 20 years, during which the animal lives in a group where females are dominant over males and can produce offspring.
Phenotype
The ringtailed lemur has dense fur that is gray in color on the back and white on the abdomen; the young have gray fur with a white belly. The young’s tail features black and white rings, which aids in balance, while adult ringtailed lemurs possess a long tail with 13 to 14 black and white rings that they hold up like a flag. Adult ringtailed lemurs also have dark markings on the face and large yellow-orange eyes that help them see well in twilight. The species’ fur helps it retain heat, and the tail assists with maintaining balance. Scent glands are present on the wrists and shoulders of adult individuals, which males use to mark territory and indicate their strength.
Physiology
Ringtailed lemurs measure in body length from 85 centimeters to 1.2 meters and weigh from 2.14 to 2.16 kilograms; the adult stage has a body mass from 2.2 to 3.5 kilograms and a body length from 85 centimeters to 1.2 meters. The embryo stage exhibits a body mass from 1 to 20 grams and a body length from 1 millimeter to 5 centimeters. During the infant stage, the species has a body mass from 60 grams to 0.8 kilograms and a body length from 15 to 35 centimeters.
Habitat
Ringtailed lemurs inhabit terrestrial landscapes, including forests, shrubs, and grasslands. The species’ elevation range extends up to 1.5 kilometers above sea level. They are found in tropical dry forests characterized by heat and a dry season with deciduous trees, tropical moist forests that are consistently hot and humid with large trees and vines, deserts and dry scrublands experiencing intense heat and infrequent rainfall with cacti, tropical savannas with uneven rainfall and abundant grasses and trees, and temperate steppes featuring extensive grasslands and few trees with occasional rainfall. The climate varies; winters have little precipitation and summers are hot, with temperatures often exceeding 25 to 30 degrees Celsius, and winters are warm and nearly rainless. Ringtailed lemurs also live in areas where it is consistently hot with frequent rainfall but sometimes dry.
Shelter
Ringtailed lemurs live in the crowns of tall trees and do not have a permanent or long-term shelter. The species does not use a fixed den, and their shelters are made of bark. These structures provide protection from predators and serve as places for rest. Ringtailed lemurs do not have a specific dwelling place.
Geography
The cat inhabits the Afrotropical realm, preferring the forests of Eastern Africa, the thorny thickets of Madagascar, the coastal forests and woodlands of southern Swahili, and the succulent woodlands of Madagascar.
Feeding
The katta feeds mainly on plants, including fruits, leaves, flowers, and sometimes insects or bark, collecting food on trees with its hands and mouth. The species' diet includes fruits, leaves, flowers, insects, bark, and nectar, with a daily food requirement ranging from 150 g to 350 g. Katta offspring feed on milk. Among the preyed insect species are bedbugs, beetles, butterflies, diptera, hymenoptera, orthoptera, dragonfly, mayfly, and lacewings. The fossa is an enemy of this species.
Reproduction
Ringtailed lemurs are terrestrial animals that live and develop on land, away from bodies of water, and their young develop in nests built on the ground or close to it, or high in the branches of shrubs or trees. Embryonic development lasts 3 weeks and 5 days, and the species gives birth to live young on land, without hatching from eggs. A litter consists of 1–2 offspring, and the female gives birth once a year; usually one offspring is born, but sometimes two. The young immediately attach themselves to the mother, and sexual reproduction involves homogamy, always with fertilization and without generations changing. The species reaches maturity from 2 to 3 years of age, and the interval between reproductions is 1 year.