Red-ruffed lemurs live in the rainforests of northeastern Madagascar and are one of the island’s largest primates. They are part of the prosimian family of primates, known for their excellent sense of smell. A group of lemurs is called a conspiracy.
The life of a red-ruffed lemur
Red-ruffed lemurs grow to 1 ½ to two feet, weigh seven to 10 pounds. They live about 15 to 20 years in the wild, and up to 30 years in human care. Breeding takes place from May to July. After about 100 days, females give birth to a litter of two to three infants, or as many as six.
Red-ruffed lemurs are arboreal and spend most of their time in trees. They are herbivores that feed on fruits, leaves and seeds. Red-ruffed lemurs are one of the largest pollinators in the world. They pollinate plants by eating nectar from flowers. As they move between flowers while feeding, pollen gets stuck to their fur. They transfer the pollen from flower to flower, helping plants reproduce. They also spread seeds through their excrement, adding more plants to the forest.
Red-ruffed lemurs are highly social and live in conspiracies, or troops. Troop sizes vary seasonally and can contain up to 30 lemurs, with one or two dominant females leading the troop. They groom each other both to stay clean and to form social bonds. Red-ruffed lemurs are also very vocal. They use at least 12 different calls to establish territory, communicate to other lemur groups and alert each other to predators.
Their primary predators are birds of prey, large snakes and fossas, catlike carnivores found only in Madagascar. Humans also pose a major threat through hunting, illegal pet sales and deforestation. Help red-ruffed ruffed lemurs by looking for the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) label on wood products to ensure it is friendly to forests.
Red-ruffed lemurs at the zoo
Located in the Africa area.
Red-ruffed lemurs are part of the zoo’s Species Survival Plan (SSP) program. The SSP is designed to manage the breeding of threatened species like red-ruffed lemurs to keep their populations healthy and genetically diverse.
