Animal Gallery
Ring-tailed Lemur |
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Ring-tailed Lemurs are very social animals, living in troops of 5 – 30 individuals. Most Lemur species are arboreal (living in trees); however, the Ring-tailed Lemur can be frequently found on the ground while traveling through bush land.
Living in an arid habitat, these Lemurs get most of their water by eating juicy fruit. They rarely use their hands to peel or pick food; instead they will pull the tree branch close to their mouth and then bite off the food. The tails of Ring-tailed Lemurs have two unique functions. When a group of Lemurs are moving through the bush, they keep their tails raised up high so everyone can keep in contact. When males show off for the females, they rub their tails in a stinky perfume they secrete from glands in their wrists. The males then fling the perfume at each other to show the females who can make the most scents. Ring-tailed Lemurs are endangered due to habitat loss. All of the world’s Lemurs are found only on the island of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. Loss of habitat from forest destruction is the primary cause for their declining numbers. |
Did you know?
The word 'Lemur' means ghost to the people of Madagascar. At the Zoo -
We have 5 Ring-tailed Lemurs. In May 2008 the first Ring-Tailed Lemur was born at the Valley Zoo, you can read more about that here. |
