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| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
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| COMMON
NAME: |
black
& white ruffed lemur |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Mammalia |
| ORDER: |
Primates |
| FAMILY: |
Lemuridae |
| GENUS
SPECIES: |
Varecia
variegata (variegated) variegata |
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| DESCRIPTION: |
Active,
tree dwelling primates with catlike nose and whiskers;
fur is soft with black and white patches; ears with
long, thick fur; exact black and white pattern varies
with location. Also called prosimians, which means
"before apes". Lemurs maintain primitive
primate features such as a small brain case and
a prominent nose. |
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| SIZE: |
Head
and body length = 47.5-50 cm (19-20 in)
Tail length = 59 cm (23.6 in) |
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| WEIGHT: |
3.18-3.6
kg (7-8 lbs) |
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| DIET: |
Predominantly
vegetation such as flowers, fruit, seeds, nectar,
and leaves |
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| GESTATION: |
90-120
days; approximately 3 offspring per birth, but up
to 6 |
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| SEXUAL
MATURITY: |
20
months old |
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| LIFE
SPAN: |
18
years or older |
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| RANGE: |
Eastern
Madagascar, from the Antainambalana River (northern
limit) to the Mananara River (southern limit) |
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| HABITAT: |
Only
found in undisturbed primary rainforest |
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| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
Unknown |
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| STATUS: |
IUCN |
Not
listed |
| CITES |
Appendix
I |
| USFWS |
Endangered |
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| 1. |
Lemurs
get their name from the Ancient Roman belief that
they were ghosts or spirits. They were mistaken
for specters because of their nocturnal, stealth
habits. |
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| 2. |
Ruffed
lemurs are quadrupedal, using all their limbs for
locomotion. Their long tails allow for even better
stability in the trees. In fact, most hang upside
down, holding on by their feet, when feeding! |
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| 3. |
Lemurs
rely on their sense of smell as a way of communicating
with other animals. They have special scent glands
on their wrists and bottoms that leave scent trails
on branches to mark their territories. |
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| 4. |
A
lemur's soft, broad fingers and toes have flat nails
that allow it to grip objects and groom other lemurs. |
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| 5. |
These
prosimians are quite social and the groups have
clearly defined male and female hierarchies. Most
communities number 2-5 individuals, but can reach
up to 16. |
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| 6. |
A
female lemur carries her newborn in her mouth until
the baby is able to cling to the fur on mother's
stomach or back. |
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| Lemurs
fill an important ecological role of Madagascar.
These primates often feed on an assortment of seasonal
fruits and as they travel throughout their environment,
they disperse undigested seeds in their manure within
2-3 hours. The seeds soon sprout to replenish the
vegetation that sustains Madagascar's unique inhabitants.
This is very important on an island where over 80%
of the original habitats have been lost to logging
and agriculture. The Malagasy people struggle to
save their country's dwindling biodiversity. They
maintain national parks to protect wildlife, support
the ecotourism industry, and search for less damaging
methods of farming. |
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|
|
| Burton,
J. (ed.). The Atlas of Endangered Species.
New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1991. |
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| Macdonald,
D.(ed.). The Encyclopedia of Mammals. Vol 1.
London: Equinox Ltd., 1984. |
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|
Nowak,
R. Walker's Mammals of the World. Vol 1.
London: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1991.
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| Preston-Mafham,
Ken. Madagascar: A Natural History. Oxford:
Ken Preston-Mafham, 1991. |
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| Preston-Mafham,
Rod and Ken. 1999. Primates of the World.
Sterling Pub., New York. |
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| Rowe,
Noel. 1996. The Pictorial Guide to the Living
Primates. Pogonios Press, NY. |
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| Tattersall,
Ian. The Primates of Madagascar. New York:
Columbia University Press, 1982. |
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