DIET: Mainly fruits, but will supplement diet with leaves, flowers, bark, sap and herbs
REGION: Madagascar – Africa
TYPE: Mammal
SIZE: 15.16 – 17.91 inches (38.5 – 45.49 cm)
WEIGHT: 5.06 – 7.7 lbs (2.30 to 3.49 kg)
HABITAT: Scrub, spiny desert, dry and gallery forest
LIFESPAN: 16 – 19 years in the wild. Up to 27 years in captivity
Ring-Tailed Lemurs spend a considerable amount of time up in the trees, but they also like to spend time on the ground. They are actually among the most terrestrial of lemur species. Lemurs are found on the island of Madagascar and some neighboring islands which are located off the eastern coast of Africa.
The females in this species dominate over the males and usually win in a dispute. However, female Ring-Tailed Lemurs do not have dominance hierarchies, but rather dominance relationships. That is to say, any individual within the group can be targeted by another individual in order to change dominance. The only individual who is never dominated is a mother by her daughter. Individuals can be evicted from the group if found to be subordinate or if an adolescent female. This species is said to be the only primate in which babies fight for dominance, starting at around 16 months old.
