Red Ruffed Lemur

IUCN ENDANGERED (EN)

 

Facts about this animal

The head-body length of an adult ruffed lemur is about 55-60 cm with a tail equally as long. Body-weight ranges from 3.5 to 4.5 kgs. The fur is reddish, thick, soft and fairly long (ruffed) with a white patch on the crown, black face and black tail..

 

Ruffed lemurs are sociable, living in groups of 2 to 16 animals. They reach sexual maturity at the age of two years. Females give usually birth to twins or triplets, sometimes up to six infants at a time, which they place in a nest. The youngsters stay in the nest for several weeks. Infants don't cling to their mother: When the mother moves them (she changes nest sites regularly), she carries her babies in her mouth. The maximum life span in the wild is 15-20 years.

 

In the wild, ruffed lemurs spend most of their time in the forest canopy. They show definite preferences for larger trees, from two to four feet in diameter. Logging of the mature trees in a particular forest may lead to the local extinction of the species. Because logging for cooking fuel and building materials, as well as slash-and-burn farming, has reduced Madagascar's forests by as much as 85%, and because they are also hunted for foood, the ruffed lemurs have become endangered.

 

 

How this animal should be transported

For air transport, Container Note 31 of the IATA Live Animals Regulations should be followed.

 

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Photo Copyright by
Adrian Pingstone