Red-tailed Hawk

Lore & Background

The name 'lemur' derives from the Latin term lemures, which refers to specters or ghosts that were exorcised during the Lemuria festival of ancient Rome. Carl Linnaeus selected the name because of the nocturnal activity and slow movements of the slender loris, though it has been commonly and falsely assumed that Linnaeus was referring to the ghost-like appearance, reflective eyes, and ghostly cries of lemurs. The species name, catta, refers to the ring-tailed lemur's cat-like appearance, and its purring vocalization is similar to that of the domestic cat. Following Linnaeus's species description, the common name 'ring-tailed maucauco' was first penned in 1771 by Welsh naturalist Thomas Pennant, who noted its characteristic long, banded tail. The now universal English name 'ring-tailed lemur' was first used by George Shaw in his illustrated scientific publication covering the Leverian collection, which was published between 1792 and 1796.

In Their Own Story

The ring-tailed lemur is highly social, living in groups—known as 'troops'—of up to 30 individuals. It is also a female-dominant species, a commonality among lemurs. To keep warm and reaffirm social bonds, groups will huddle together. Mutual grooming is another vital aspect of lemur socialization, reaffirming social and familial connections, while also helping rid each other of any potential insects. Ring-tailed lemurs are strictly diurnal, being active exclusively during daylight hours. Due to this lifestyle, they also sunbathe; the lemurs can be observed sitting upright on their tails, exposing their soft, white belly fur towards the sun. They will often also have their palms open and eyes gently closed. The males perform a unique scent-marking behavior called spur-marking and will participate in stink fights by dousing their tails with their pheromones and 'wafting' them at opponents.

Reader's Guide

The ring-tailed lemur ranges from gallery forests to spiny scrub in the southern regions of Madagascar. It is omnivorous, as well as the most adapted to living terrestrially of the extant lemurs. Like other lemurs, this species relies strongly on their sense of smell, and territorial marking, with scent glands, provides communication signals throughout a group's home range. The glands are located near the eyes, as well as near the anus. Additionally, lemurs of both sexes will scent-mark trees, logs, rocks or other objects by simply rubbing their faces and bodies onto it, not unlike a domestic cat. As one of the most vocal primates, the ring-tailed lemur uses numerous vocalizations, including calling for group cohesion and predator alarm calls. Experiments have shown that the ring-tailed lemur, despite the lack of a large brain (relative to simiiform primates), can organize sequences, understand basic arithmetic operations, and preferentially select tools based on functional qualities. Despite adapting to and breeding easily under captive care (and being the most popular species of lemur in zoos worldwide, with more than 2,000 captive-raised individuals), the wild population of ring-tailed lemur is listed as endangered by the IUCN Red List, due to habitat destruction, local hunting for bushmeat and the exotic pet trade. As of early 2017, the population in the wild is believed to have lowered to as few as 2,000 individuals due to these reasons, making them far more critically endangered.

Did You Know?

• The ring-tailed lemur is the only member of the Lemur genus.
• The species name 'catta' refers to the ring-tailed lemur's cat-like appearance, and its purring vocalization is similar to that of the domestic cat.
• Males perform a unique scent-marking behavior called spur-marking and will participate in stink fights by dousing their tails with their pheromones and 'wafting' them at opponents.
• As of early 2017, the wild population is believed to have lowered to as few as 2,000 individuals.
• The ring-tailed lemur can organize sequences, understand basic arithmetic operations, and preferentially select tools based on functional qualities.