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| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
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| COMMON
NAME: |
red
ruffed lemur |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Mammalia |
| ORDER: |
Primates |
| FAMILY: |
Lemuridae |
| GENUS
SPECIES: |
Varecia
variegata (variegated) ruba (red) |
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| DESCRIPTION: |
Active,
tree dwelling primates with cat-like nose and whiskers;
fur is soft and coloration is reddish brown with
black markings. |
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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: |
3.6-4.5
kg (8-10 lbs) |
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| DIET: |
Predominantly
vegetation such as flowers, fruit, seeds, nectar,
and leaves |
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| GESTATION: |
90-102
days; usually 3 offspring, up to 6 |
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| SEXUAL
MATURITY: |
20
months |
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| LIFE
SPAN: |
18
years or older |
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| RANGE: |
Eastern
Madagascar, within the Masoala Penisula east of
the Antainambalana River |
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| HABITAT: |
Tropical
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
are also called prosimians, which means "before
apes". They have primitive primate features
such as a small brain case and a prominent nose. |
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| 2. |
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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| 3. |
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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| 4. |
These
prosimians are quite social and the groups have
clearly defined male and female hierarchies. Most
communities number 2-5 individuals. |
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| 5. |
A
female lemur carries her newborn to a new nest site
in her mouth. |
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| 6. |
The
lemur's thick bushy tail serves as a visual signal
when it is threatened or as a balancing tool when
it leaps through the trees. |
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| 7. |
Red-ruffed
lemurs are able to pursue sitting birds of prey
as well as some terrestrial carnivores in order
to distract them from a lemur nest near by. |
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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.
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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