Animal of the Month

1. Ring-tailed lemurs are primates who are found on Madagascar and on some small neighbouring islands. Known for their black-and-white striped tail, they have grey-brown fur, a dark nose and a white face, with dark patches around their eyes.
2. Ring-tailed lemurs spend more time on the ground than other lemurs do – they can walk and run on all fours and are active during the day.
3. It is believed that Madagascar broke away from mainland Africa about 60 million years ago. Lemurs evolved in isolation and never faced competition from modern apes. They were first discovered by humans in the late 1500s by Portuguese adventurers who named them for a Roman word meaning "spirits of the dead".
4. As they are very social animals, ring-tailed lemurs live in groups (up to 25 live in each group), and they spend a lot of time grooming each other. The groups are dominated by females who stay with a group for their entire lives whilst males move from group to group.
5. Ring-tailed lemurs inhabit the hot, dry forests and open areas in Southern Madagascar.
6. Ring-tailed lemurs have very powerful scent glands which they use to mark their territory, communicate or fight. They also use several calls to "talk" to each other.
7. Because of fires caused by humans, overgrazing and tree-cutting for charcoal production, ring-tailed lemurs are threatened by habitat loss.
8. Lemurs can live up to 25 years; adults weigh about 3 to 3.5 kg, with a head-to-body length of 38 to 46 cm.
9. Birds of prey, such as harrier hawks, will eat lemurs. Humans also hunt lemurs and trap them to be kept as "pets".
10. Lemurs spend a lot of time sunbathing, and they feed on fruit, leaves, flowers, sap and bark from more than 30 plant species.