Red-Ruffed Lemur
Varencia variegata rubra
WILD STATUS
Critically Endangered.
DISTRIBUTION
Only in the Masoala Peninsula in northeastern Madagascar.
SIZE
Weight is 3.5-4 kg (7-8.8 lbs).
Length is approximately 53 cm long (1’9”), with a 60 cm (2’) tail. Females are slightly larger than males.
HABITAT
Deciduous tropical forests of the Masoala Peninsula in northeastern Madagascar.
REPRODUCTION
Red-Ruffed Lemurs reach sexual maturity at about 2 years of age, and have young at about 3 years of age. Litters of up to 6 are born after a 90-102 day gestation period. The most common litter size is 3.
DIET
Their diet consists primarily of fruit, nectar, and pollen supplemented with leaves and seeds.
INTERESTING TIDBITS
- Red-Ruffed Lemurs have a rust-coloured ruff and body. The head, stomach, tail, feet, and the insides of its legs are black and there is a white patch on the back of its neck. They may also have white markings on their feet or mouth.
- These primates usually live in small, matriarchal groups of 2-16 individuals, but group sizes of up to 32 have been recorded.
- Female Red-Ruffed Lemurs may build several nests for her young, and use her own body hair to line them.
- Red-Ruffed Lemurs are very vocal and warn each other with a complex system of at least 12 different vocalizations. These alarm calls can be low grunts, gurgling sounds or a cackle-like roar. Their vocalizations can also be understood by the Black & White Ruffed Lemurs.
- Females are dominant, form the core of the group, and defend their territory.
- Red-Ruffed Lemurs have scent glands on their rump used for group identification.
- Life span in the wild is 15-20 years.
- Habitat loss, hunting, and the pet trade are the primary survival threats.
- The creation of the Masoala National Park in 1997 has helped protect this species, but many Red-Ruffed Lemurs do not live within the park's boundaries, and are still at high risk.
ANIMAL FACT SHEET
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