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Description:
The Red Ruffed Lemur can grow to be 3.5 feet long from its head to
the end of its tail. The tail alone can account for almost 2 feet of
this total length and is used for balance when jumping from branch to
branch through the trees. They are the largest member of the Lemuridae
family and are called “ruffed” lemurs due to the tufts of long, thick
fur on their ears. They have soft fur that is mostly reddish-brown in
color with a black face, feet, tail, and belly. They can weigh anywhere
between 7-10 lbs.
Range:
Island of Madagascar
Habitat:
Rainforest
Diet:
Red
ruffed lemurs are completely herbivorous and have a diet consisting
of fruits, nectar, seeds, leaves, and flowers.
Life Cycle:
The breeding season occurs from May through July in the wild, with
the female in estrus for only a few days during this time, and only
fertile one day during estrus. After a gestation period of 90-102 days,
the female will produce a litter of 2-6 newborns, with 2-3 being the
average. Ruffed lemurs are the only primate that can produce a litter
of offspring instead of only a single newborn or twins. When born, the
Red Ruffed Lemur will have its eyes open and be fully furred, but will
not have enough strength to cling to its mother. Because of this, the
mother will pick the newborn up and place it in a nest of branches and
leaves that she constructed prior to the birth. The mother may
construct several of these nests and move the developing young around to
various locations while she is foraging. By the time the young reach 7
weeks of age, they are capable of following the mother around the
treetops. Weaning occurs around 4 months, and sexual maturity is
reached at about 2 years, but the females do not reproduce until they
are about 3 years of age.
Did You Know?
·
Instead of using their hands to groom parasites from their fur, red
ruffed lemurs use a special set of teeth called a "toothcomb"
·
The red ruffed lemur has a complex social system with females always
having a higher social status than males.
·
These
lemurs have a very loud warning system. When a predator is nearby, they
use an elaborate series of barks and calls to alert other lemurs in the
area to the threat. These newly alerted lemurs will then take up the
warning call until all those in the area are aware of the danger.
·
Red Ruffed Lemurs have an excellent
sense of smell and rely heavily on scent as a way to identify group
members and mark territories. They have scent glands located on their
wrists and on their bottoms that aid in this process.
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