Ring-tailed lemurs:

An endangered species

Like to see some rare species of animal? Then head straight to the Zoological Gardens of Dehiwela and you will be greeted by three small, but cute primates that belong to the mammalian group.

The most recent addition to the zoo, the ring-tailed lemurs are fascinating creatures and will undoubtedly attract much attention, even though they are not as exotic as the two white tigers that were gifted to the zoo from China.

However, as ring tailed lemurs are an endangered species having not just one, but three of them at the zoo (two females and a male) will augur well for the zoo. If they breed in captivity then we could be proud of being instrumental, even in a small way, in protecting this endangered species, by increasing its population. Even though the best place for these little creatures to be in (as it should be for all animals) is their natural habitat, sometimes it is important and necessary to protect them even in an enclosure such as a zoo because today their natural homes are being destroyed by man.

Some of you may have already seen these rare lemurs at the zoo. Today we like to introduce the animal to you so that you'll be knowledgeable about the lemur when you visit the zoo someday.

Lemurs, as we mentioned before are primates that are related to monkeys and apes. But they developed differently from monkeys and apes when Madagascar separated from the African continent, millions of years ago.

There are about 22 species of lemurs and the ring-tailed lemurs are considered unique among them, especially because of their preference to walk on the ground rather than swing through trees.

The ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur cattas) which are found only in the African island of Madagascar and some tiny neighbouring islands are also known by the African names of Hira (Malagasy) and Maki (Malagasy). They prefer to live in gallery forests and euphorbia bush habitats.

Ring-tailed lemurs who spend a lot of time on the ground (which is rather unusual for lemurs), could be seen moving about on all fours with their bottoms sticking up in the air. This is because they have front legs which are shorter than their back legs. Their body length averages between 15 and 18 inches (39 to 46 cm). An average adult weighs between five to eight pounds (2.3 to 3.5 kg). The tails are longer than their bodies and are about 21.75 in (55 cm).

These tails are what makes them significant among other lemurs because they are vividly striped in black and white as you can see in the photographs featured here.

You could see this in the live animals if you make a visit to the zoo. It would be evident to you by now that these striking tails have been the reason these animals have been named so.

However, the lemurs cannot use their long tails to grip or hold on to branches of trees or anything else like the monkeys do.

Lemurs generally use their hands and feet to move nimbly through the trees in the forests they live in. As lemurs are herbivores and enjoy eating fruit, leaves, flowers, tree bark and sap they forage for food on the ground a lot.

Their breeding season is from mid-April through June. After a gestation period (pregnancy) of four to four-and-a-half months, the female gives birth to one or two babies at a time.

Lemurs are social and territorial animals. They live in groups which are called troops. These troops generally have between 6 and 30 lemurs, but average around 17. A dominant female presides over a troop which includes both gender. Females stay in the troop in which they were born, but male lemurs move from troop to troop. The average life span of these animals in the wild is 16 to 19 years and 27 years in captivity. So, if we take good care of the three lemurs we have at the zoo, they'll be with us for a very long time.

When looking for a partner, male lemurs battle for dominance by trying to "outstink" each other. They are famous to cover their tails with smelly secretions and wave them in the air to decide who is more dominant. Ring-tailed lemurs have social hierarchies where the females are dominant.

These cute animals could be seen sunbathing in the early morning hours sitting upright with their front legs resting on their back legs - they look like someone in a meditative pose. When you visit the zoo, see if you can spot them in this posture.

Ring tailed lemurs are, a closely protected species as their conservation status is 'near threatened' due to the destruction of habitat. Like most animals these lemurs too have many predators apart from man. Some of these native predators are the Fossa (a catlike predator), Madagascar harrier-hawk, Madagascar buzzard, and the Madagascar ground boa.

The small Indian civet and the domestic cats and dogs too are a threat to these animals.

Facts and pix: Internet

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Interesting facts

* The ring-tailed lemur's tail is longer than its body.

* If an argument breaks out between a male and female lemur, the female always wins. The females who are in charge, always get the best food.

* Lemurs are primates and related to monkeys and apes.

* Lemurs are not able to use their tails to grab onto branches like a monkey would.

* Fruits make up a larger part of their diet. But sometimes they eat insects too.

* Male lemurs battle for dominance by trying to 'outstink' each other.

* The young have blue eyes but adults have yellow or red eyes depending on the species.

* Lemurs are noisy animals. They make about 15 different kinds of sounds including purrs, clicks, grunts and howls.

* They also communicate using scent. They mark their territory by scent.

* Ring-tailed lemurs tend to live in more open and less forested areas.

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