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.