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 At the moment there are 49 species of lemur
known to science. The smallest of the species is the Mouse Lemur
weighing in at only one ounce, the
largest was the Indri and Diademed Sifaka Lemur,
weighing in at almost 15 pounds. The Indri lemur is now extinct due
to human intervention with activities like hunting and
farming. The larger and slower lemurs all became extinct this way as
they were not agile enough to get away from humans.
The name "lemur" comes
from the Latin word "lemures", which means "spirits of the night".
Their name signifies the fact that these animals are nocturnal and
their eyes are very reflective at night. Ironically, not all lemur
species are nocturnal. The smaller species of lemur are active at
night, but the larger species are diurnal, meaning more active
during the day.
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We have 12
lemurs at our facility at the moment:
Easter:
Black & white ruffed lemur
Rusty, Meisha
and Bookers: White fronted lemurs
Taz and
Hotlips: Common brown lemurs
Cooch: A
white & red fronted hybrid
Lucy, Little
Girl, Futahba, Ringo & Zaboomafoo: Ringtail lemurs
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Ringtail Lemurs
 Ringtails are usually gray/brownish in
color with a tail marked by alternating black and white rings from
which their name was derived. Every tail of a lemur is marked by
exactly 13 rings. All lemurs use their bushy tails for balance when
leaping from tree to tree but also to warn an opponent by rubbing
scent all over it and "flicking" it towards their rivals, they shake
and quiver all over when they engage in this sort of aggressive
behavior. They weigh anywhere from 6.5 to 7.75 pounds with head to
body length from 10 to 12 inches and a tail length of 14 to 16
inches.
In the Wild....
The Ring-tailed Lemur is found in the
southwestern region of Madagascar with its larger open areas and forests. These lemurs are known to
live in a territory spanning anywhere from 10 to 60 acres.
The social structure of these animals is
quite sophisticated. A group can have as few as 3 or as many as 24
individuals, with a mixture of both males and females. Males reach
sexual maturity at age 3 and leave their original group to join
another. Females stay with their birth-group until they die. The
females are dominant within the group and they exhibit close bonds
with other related females.
Grooming is a very important social bonding
behavior within the group. Lemurs use their lower teeth, incisors
and canines as a toothcomb to groom themselves as well as other
members of the group.
Lemurs are often seen "sunbathing" in a
meditative type position. Because their bellies are not as protected
from a colder environment, these animals will warm themselves up by
basking in the sunlight before they proceed to their daily foraging
activities. The ringtail lemurs, unlike other lemurs, spend about 40
% of their time on the ground.
Ringtail Lemur communication:
Ringtails communicate with scent secretions
from glands located on their wrists and chest.
Biology...
 Mating season is usually from April to June with babies being born
between
August and October. The gestation period is 134-138 days,
and usually only one infant is born, but twins are also
common. Newborns are about 4 inches in length already with the
colors the adults have. The babies cling to their mother’s front but
only after three days will begin moving around actively and by age
two weeks it can be found riding on her back.
Status
 Ring-tailed lemurs
are an endangered species with an estimated wild population of
10,000 to 100,000 individuals in the wild and a captive population
of well over 1,000. Because the habitat of these lemurs (forests
along rivers) is severely threatened by human development, the
species has made the endangered species list in spite of large
populations still remaining at the present time. Breeding of
ring-tailed lemurs is monitored by the
Species Survival Plan.
White Fronted Brown Lemur
 This small brown
lemur weigh between 4 and 6 lbs., with a head to body length of
about 15 inches and tail length of almost 20 inches. Males are brown
with a distinct white ruff in its face, where the females are
completely brown in color.
In the Wild....
White Fronted Brown
Lemurs can be found in the Northwestern region of Madagascar in the
rain forest canopy level. They survive on a diet of fruits, flowers,
flower seeds, leaves and nectar. The White-Fronted lemur is diurnal
and mostly active during the day and early evening hours. They
travel in groups of 4 to 15 individuals.
Biology.....
Breeding season is from April to June
for this type of lemur with single babies born between August and
October. The gestation period is 127 days. Infants are born with its
eyes open and as do the Ringtail Lemurs, these babies grab hold of
their mother's belly while in motion. After 4 weeks, the young lemur
is still nursing but able to eat on its own as well. The infant
becomes completely indepedent at six months old and the mother may
chase it away at that time.
Status
This lemur is
listed as Endangered by the USDI (1980) and is on Appendix I of
CITES. Populations are rapidly declining through loss of forest
habitat. In 1989 ISIS listed 96 individuals in captivity, 94% of
which were reported to be captive bred. Another 69 are known to be
in institutions not listed with ISIS. The number remaining in the
wild is unknown.
Black and White
Ruffed Lemur
 These lemurs are
easily recognizable. They are a medium-sized lemur with thick fur
with large black and white areas. Their eyes are a golden color.
These lemurs can weigh up to 7 pounds. They have toes and fingers
with very sharp nails and the palms of their hands and feet are of a
leather-like texture. These lemurs can live up to 20 years in
captivity and up to 15 years in the wild.
In the Wild......
Black and white
ruffed lemurs inhabit an area in eastern Madagascar, near the coast
but in the rainforests at canopy level. They live off a diet
of fruits, leaves and rice. These lemurs live in
very small groups usually consisting of a male/female breeding pair
with 2 to 5 of their offspring.
Biology.....
Mating season is between July and
August with twins or triplets being born in October and November.
Unlike other lemurs the young of this lemur species stay in a nest
in the trees where the infants stay for about 3 weeks. The young
don't climb on their mother's back at that time, instead mom carries
them with her in her mouth to place them close by the location where
she looks for food. When the young are about 5 weeks old they can
readily climb trees and spend a lot of time with the father.
Status...
 The Black and white
ruffed lemur is listed as endangered by the USDI (1980) and is on
Appendix I of CITES. It is reportedly declining because of human
destruction of its forest habitat and commercial exportation to the
U.S., the largest importer of primates.
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At Peace River Refuge & Ranch
fourteen lemurs call our facility home. We have 4 different lemur species
divided into two diverse troops. The species presented above
represent only a small portion of the large diversity of lemur
species. Lemurs are a very special type of primate only found on the
small island of Madagascar located just off the East-African coast. All lemurs are a member of the class
prosimians, this means they are species ancestral to monkeys, apes
and humans. It is believed that lemurs arrived on the island from
the mainland by traveling on floating vegetation. Due to their
evolutionary isolation on Madagascar and its surrounding islands,
lemurs were protected from competition with other primates (monkeys
and apes) and this allowed for a number of different lemur species
to evolve naturally.