Ring-Tailed Lemur (Lemur catta)
MammalPrimateMadagascar
A ring-tailed lemur in a tree in Anja Community Reserve, Madagascar.
Image: Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Overview
The ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta) is a primate native only to southern and southwestern Madagascar. It lives in troops built around related females, who dominate the males, and it spends more time on the ground than any other lemur.
Its fur is gray to rosy or reddish brown above and lighter, often white, below. The face is white with dark triangular eye patches and a black nose, and the long tail, ringed in black and white, is longer than the head and body. It walks on all fours with its tail held up. Males have a scent gland on each wrist, each with a horny spur used to pierce branches before scent marking, and scent glands on the chest; both sexes have anogenital scent glands. Its lower teeth form a toothcomb used in grooming.
Its head and body measure 39–46 cm, or 385–455 mm in another account, and its tail 56–63 cm or 560–624 mm; wild adults measure about 42.5 cm from head to rump. Wild adults average 2207–2213 g, and captive adults weigh slightly more, males averaging 2705 g and females 2678 g. Accounts disagree on whether males and females differ in weight.
Habitat & Range
Ring-tailed lemurs prefer gallery forest along rivers and dense euphorbia forest, but they also use dry deciduous forest, spiny bush, brush and scrub, littoral forest, mangroves, rainforest and montane forest, high-altitude ericoid bush and rocky outcrops, from sea level to 2,600 m. Their range spans Madagascar's most extreme climates, from the hottest and driest areas to the coldest. They need some forest cover: their distribution is patchy, cleared areas that regrow as secondary growth are not successfully resettled, and they are sometimes sighted in semi-arid areas far from forest.
The range reaches north to around Morondava on the west coast and Ambalavao in the east, and southeast to Tolagnaro on the southern coast, extending farther into the interior highlands than that of other lemurs. A small, isolated population lives near the Andringitra mountains on the southeastern plateau; the animals there, above 2,500 m, may be a different subspecies, and a high-elevation population is described as darker reddish brown, with denser fur and fewer tail rings. An older account also reports that the species was introduced on St. Catherine's Island, Georgia, in the United States, in a project to establish a free-ranging breeding population.
Diet
Ring-tailed lemurs eat mainly fruit, leaves and flowers, along with herbs, seeds, stems, bark and plant exudates such as sap — products of up to 50 plant species in all. Tamarind (kily) fruit and leaves are a key food year-round: at some times of year tamarind can supply up to 50% of all the food eaten, and where the tree grows about 50% of foraging time may go to its fruit and leaves. They also eat insects, spiders and their webs, occasional small vertebrates such as chameleons and birds, and earth from termite mounds, taking small vertebrates and insects especially in the dry season, when food is scarce. Accounts classify the diet differently, as omnivorous or as herbivorous. Water comes from dew or rain on leaves or in tree hollows.
Behavior
Ring-tailed lemurs are active mainly in daylight, from before dawn until dusk, though some activity at night is reported; accounts call them diurnal or cathemeral, active by day and night. A troop sunbathes and feeds in the morning, turning the less furred belly to the sun to warm up before foraging, rests around midday, feeds again in the afternoon and sleeps in trees at night. Time spent on the ground is given as 15–30%, about a third, 40% or up to half of the day, depending on the account, and about 70% of group travel is on the ground.
Troops contain several males and several females and are built around related females, who stay in their birth troop for life. Adult females dominate adult males — even the lowest-ranking female outranks the highest-ranking male — and have priority access to food and choose their mates; a top-ranking female is the focal point of the group, and males have a separate hierarchy. Typical troop size is given as 15–20, about 11–17 or 13–18 animals, and troops usually split when they grow past 15 to 25. Males leave their birth troop between three and five years of age, often in pairs or trios, and move between troops again as adults, mostly from December to May and especially in the brief breeding season.
Human Interaction & Conservation
The ring-tailed lemur's forests are cleared for farming, overgrazed, burned and cut for charcoal. In some areas it is hunted for food, often with dogs, and local taboos against hunting lemurs are beginning to disappear. It is captured for the pet trade, in which it is the most common lemur, and it raids melon and sweet potato crops. It is also a common draw for ecotourism in southern Madagascar.
It was first listed in CITES Appendix II in 1975 and has been in Appendix I since 1977, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed all members of its family as endangered in 1970. IUCN's global assessment lists the ring-tailed lemur as Endangered (2020).
Conservation assessment
Ring-tailed Lemur (Lemur catta)
Endangered (EN)Matches source
FaunaHub's record matches IUCN's published Red List data for this species (global assessment, 2020), checked 2026-10-09.
Source and dates
- Assessed taxon
- Lemur catta
- Assessed
- 2020, global assessment
- IUCN taxon
- 11496
- Checked by FaunaHub
- 2026-10-09, against IUCN's Red List export published 2026-07-28
- FaunaHub record
- reviewed 2026-06-16 — its range, trend and threat notes are still pending source review
IUCN Red List categories are reassessed over time. FaunaHub is not a conservation authority; check the current assessment before relying on it.
Reproduction & Life Cycle
Breeding is highly seasonal. In the wild, mating falls in April and May — one account places the brief breeding season, lasting one to three weeks, in April, and one passage of another in May — and births follow in August and September, or in a short season in August by one account. Gestation is given as 130–144, 134–144 or 135–145 days. A female usually has one infant. Accounts differ on how often twins occur in the wild — frequently when food is plentiful by two accounts, almost never by a field-study summary — and triplets are rare. Weaning is given at five months, 5–6 months or 4–6 months, and all adult females help raise the troop's young.
Females usually first give birth at three years of age and then about once a year, although in human care they can do so as early as 18 months. Captive lemurs in Durham mate in October and November.
Field studies find that wild females rarely live past 16 years — the oldest known wild female was 18–20 years old — and that males reach at least 15 years; one summary gives a wild life span of 16 to 19 years, while one account's data panel gives much higher wild figures, 27 years on average and 33 years at most. In managed care, median life expectancy is about 17 years, and the maximum recorded age in captivity is given as 27, 33 or 37.3 years — the last a female that was still alive in captivity when it was recorded.
Sourced facts
Each value below is traced to the specific reference that states it. Open a row's evidence to see the source, where to look in it, and how firmly it supports the value. Sources checked 2026-10-20.
| Fact | What the source states | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Distinguishing traits | Gray to rosy or reddish brown above and lighter, often white, below; white face with dark triangular eye patches and a black nose; long black-and-white ringed tail, longer than the head and body. The most terrestrial lemur, it walks on all fours with the tail held up.Males have a scent gland on each wrist, each with a horny spur used to pierce branches before scent marking, and scent glands on the chest; both sexes have anogenital scent glands. Its lower teeth form a toothcomb used in grooming. A high-elevation population is darker reddish brown, with denser fur and fewer tail rings. | Matches source · Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, Animal Diversity Web (University of Michigan Museum of Zoology), Primate Info Net, Wisconsin National Primate Research Center (University of Wisconsin-Madison), San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Library (Ring-tailed Lemur Fact Sheet), Duke Lemur Center (Duke University) — how we knowSmithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute
Animal Diversity Web (University of Michigan Museum of Zoology)
Primate Info Net, Wisconsin National Primate Research Center (University of Wisconsin-Madison)
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Library (Ring-tailed Lemur Fact Sheet)
Duke Lemur Center (Duke University)
|
| Geographic range | Native only to southern and southwestern Madagascar: north to around Morondava on the west coast and Ambalavao in the east, and southeast to Tolagnaro on the southern coast. A small, isolated population lives near the Andringitra mountains on the southeastern plateau.The range reaches farther into the interior highlands than that of other lemurs; the eastern Andringitra animals, living above 2,500 m, may be a different subspecies. An older account reports that the species was also introduced by people on St. Catherine's Island, Georgia (USA), in a project to establish a free-ranging breeding population. | Matches source · Animal Diversity Web (University of Michigan Museum of Zoology), Primate Info Net, Wisconsin National Primate Research Center (University of Wisconsin-Madison), Duke Lemur Center (Duke University), San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Library (Ring-tailed Lemur Fact Sheet) — how we knowAnimal Diversity Web (University of Michigan Museum of Zoology)
Primate Info Net, Wisconsin National Primate Research Center (University of Wisconsin-Madison)
Duke Lemur Center (Duke University)
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Library (Ring-tailed Lemur Fact Sheet)
|
| Habitat | Prefers gallery (riverside) forest and dense euphorbia forest, but also uses dry deciduous forest, spiny bush, brush and scrub, littoral forest, mangroves, rainforest and montane forest, high-altitude ericoid bush and rocky outcrops, from sea level to 2,600 m.Its range covers Madagascar's most extreme climates, from the hottest and driest areas to the coldest, and it is also described in arid, open areas. It needs some forest cover: distribution is patchy, and cleared areas that regrow as secondary growth are not successfully resettled. It is sometimes sighted in semi-arid areas far from forest. | Matches source · Animal Diversity Web (University of Michigan Museum of Zoology), Duke Lemur Center (Duke University), San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Library (Ring-tailed Lemur Fact Sheet), Primate Info Net, Wisconsin National Primate Research Center (University of Wisconsin-Madison), Lemur Conservation Network, Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute — how we knowAnimal Diversity Web (University of Michigan Museum of Zoology)
Duke Lemur Center (Duke University)
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Library (Ring-tailed Lemur Fact Sheet)
Primate Info Net, Wisconsin National Primate Research Center (University of Wisconsin-Madison)
Lemur Conservation Network
Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute
|
| Diet | Mainly fruit, leaves and flowers, plus herbs, seeds, stems, bark and exudates such as sap; tamarind (kily) fruit and leaves are a key year-round food. Also insects, spiders and their webs, occasional small vertebrates such as chameleons and birds, and earth from termite mounds.sources disagreeTamarind can supply up to 50% of all food eaten at some times of year, and where it grows about 50% of foraging time may go to its fruit and leaves; products of up to 50 plant species are eaten. Small vertebrates and insects are taken especially in the dry season, when food is scarce. Water comes from dew or rain on leaves or in tree hollows. | Sources disagree · Animal Diversity Web (University of Michigan Museum of Zoology), Primate Info Net, Wisconsin National Primate Research Center (University of Wisconsin-Madison), Duke Lemur Center (Duke University), Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Library (Ring-tailed Lemur Fact Sheet) — how we knowWhat each reading says
Accounts classify the diet differently: two call the ring-tailed lemur an opportunistic omnivore, while a third calls it herbivorous ('Vegetarians'), although it too lists invertebrates and earth among foods eaten. Animal Diversity Web (University of Michigan Museum of Zoology)
Primate Info Net, Wisconsin National Primate Research Center (University of Wisconsin-Madison)
Duke Lemur Center (Duke University)
Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Library (Ring-tailed Lemur Fact Sheet)
|
| Body size | Head and body 39–46 cm (also given as 385–455 mm); tail 56–63 cm (also given as 560–624 mm), longer than the head and body. In the wild, adults measure about 42.5 cm from head to rump.sources disagreeOne account gives the tail as about 60 cm long. | Sources disagree · Animal Diversity Web (University of Michigan Museum of Zoology), San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Library (Ring-tailed Lemur Fact Sheet), Primate Info Net, Wisconsin National Primate Research Center (University of Wisconsin-Madison), Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute — how we knowWhat each reading says
Published ranges differ slightly: head and body 39–46 cm in one account and 385–455 mm in another; maximum tail length 63 cm, 624 mm, or up to 2 feet (61 centimeters) in a third. Animal Diversity Web (University of Michigan Museum of Zoology)
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Library (Ring-tailed Lemur Fact Sheet)
Primate Info Net, Wisconsin National Primate Research Center (University of Wisconsin-Madison)
Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute
|
| Body mass | Wild adults average 2207–2213 g; captive adults weigh slightly more, males averaging 2705 g and females 2678 g.sources disagreeOther figures do not say whether the animals were wild or captive: averages of 2.2 kg and 2555 g, and an adult range of 2.2–2.7 kg. | Sources disagree · Primate Info Net, Wisconsin National Primate Research Center (University of Wisconsin-Madison), San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Library (Ring-tailed Lemur Fact Sheet), Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, Animal Diversity Web (University of Michigan Museum of Zoology), Duke Lemur Center (Duke University) — how we knowWhat each reading says
Accounts disagree on a sex difference in mass: two say males and females are about the same size or indistinguishable by weight, one gives adult males an average of 6 pounds (3 kilograms) and says females are usually smaller, and one account's data panel tags the sexes both as alike and as female larger. Primate Info Net, Wisconsin National Primate Research Center (University of Wisconsin-Madison)
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Library (Ring-tailed Lemur Fact Sheet)
Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute
Animal Diversity Web (University of Michigan Museum of Zoology)
Duke Lemur Center (Duke University)
|
| Lifespan | Wild: females rarely live past 16 years; the oldest known wild female was 18–20 years old, and males have been recorded to at least 15 years. Captivity: the maximum recorded age is given as 27, 33 or 37.3 years.sources disagreeIn managed care, median life expectancy is about 17 years (16.7 years, AZA 2023). Two accounts give a typical or median lifespan of about 16 years without saying whether wild or captive, and one summary panel gives a wild life span of 16 to 19 years. The 37.3-year record is a female that was still alive in captivity when recorded. | Sources disagree · Primate Info Net, Wisconsin National Primate Research Center (University of Wisconsin-Madison), Animal Diversity Web (University of Michigan Museum of Zoology), AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database (Human Ageing Genomic Resources), San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Library (Ring-tailed Lemur Fact Sheet), Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute — how we knowWhat each reading says
Maximum ages recorded in captivity disagree: 27 years in one account, 33 years in another and 37.3 years in a longevity database. Wild figures also disagree: field studies find females rarely live past 16 years (the oldest known wild female 18–20 years), while one account’s data panel gives wild figures of 27 years (average) and 33 years (high). Primate Info Net, Wisconsin National Primate Research Center (University of Wisconsin-Madison)
Animal Diversity Web (University of Michigan Museum of Zoology)
AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database (Human Ageing Genomic Resources)
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Library (Ring-tailed Lemur Fact Sheet)
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Library (Ring-tailed Lemur Fact Sheet)
Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute
|
| Activity pattern | Active mainly in daylight, from before dawn until dusk, though some activity at night is reported. Troops sunbathe and feed in the morning, rest around midday, feed again in the afternoon and sleep in trees at night. More time is spent on the ground than by any other lemur.sources disagreeMorning sunbathing, with the less furred belly turned to the sun, warms the animals before they forage. About 70% of group travel is on the ground. | Sources disagree · San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Library (Ring-tailed Lemur Fact Sheet), Lemur Conservation Network, Primate Info Net, Wisconsin National Primate Research Center (University of Wisconsin-Madison), Animal Diversity Web (University of Michigan Museum of Zoology), Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, Duke Lemur Center (Duke University) — how we knowWhat each reading says
Accounts differ on the daily cycle and on time on the ground: one calls the species diurnal but notes it may be active at night at the sleeping site, another calls it cathemeral (active by day and night) but says it tends to avoid night activity when it is cold; time on the ground is given as 15-30%, around a third, about 33%, 40 percent, and up to 50% of the day. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Library (Ring-tailed Lemur Fact Sheet)
Lemur Conservation Network
Primate Info Net, Wisconsin National Primate Research Center (University of Wisconsin-Madison)
Animal Diversity Web (University of Michigan Museum of Zoology)
Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute
Duke Lemur Center (Duke University)
|
| Social structure | Multi-male, multi-female troops built around related females, who stay in their birth troop for life. Adult females dominate adult males, a top-ranking female is the group's focal point, and males have a separate hierarchy. Typical troop size: 15–20, about 11–17, or 13–18.sources disagreeFemales have priority access to food and choose whom to mate with; even the lowest-ranking female outranks the highest-ranking male. Female ranks are not linear, and daughters do not always take their mother's rank. Mating is polygynandrous, and females may mate with males of neighboring troops. Troops usually split when they exceed 15 to 25 animals. | Sources disagree · Primate Info Net, Wisconsin National Primate Research Center (University of Wisconsin-Madison), Animal Diversity Web (University of Michigan Museum of Zoology), Duke Lemur Center (Duke University), Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Library (Ring-tailed Lemur Fact Sheet), Lemur Conservation Network — how we knowWhat each reading says
Troop sizes differ between accounts: typical figures of 15 to 20, about 11 to 17, and 13-18 animals, and ranges of three to 25, 3 to 27, 6-24, up to 30 (in Madagascar), and six to 35 and four to 31 at two study reserves. Primate Info Net, Wisconsin National Primate Research Center (University of Wisconsin-Madison)
Animal Diversity Web (University of Michigan Museum of Zoology)
Duke Lemur Center (Duke University)
Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Library (Ring-tailed Lemur Fact Sheet)
Lemur Conservation Network
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Library (Ring-tailed Lemur Fact Sheet)
|
| Reproduction | Highly seasonal: in the wild, mating falls in April–May and births in August–September. Gestation is given as 130–144, 134–144 or 135–145 days. Usually one infant; twins occur, more often when food is plentiful; triplets are rare. Weaning: five months, 5–6 months or 4–6 months.sources disagreeCaptive animals in Durham mate in October–November. Females usually first give birth at three years old and then about once a year; in human care, first births can come as early as 18 months. All adult females help raise the troop's young. | Sources disagree · Animal Diversity Web (University of Michigan Museum of Zoology), Duke Lemur Center (Duke University), Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, Primate Info Net, Wisconsin National Primate Research Center (University of Wisconsin-Madison), San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Library (Ring-tailed Lemur Fact Sheet) — how we knowWhat each reading says
Accounts differ on gestation (130 to 144, 134-144 and 135 to 145 days), on the most young per birth (one or two, or 1-3), on weaning age (five months, 5-6 months or 4-6 months), on whether twins are frequent in the wild, on the timing of the brief wild breeding season, placed in April (lasting 1-3 weeks) by one account and, in one passage of another, in May (seven to 21 days), and on the birth season, given as August-September by most accounts and as a short season in August by one. Animal Diversity Web (University of Michigan Museum of Zoology)
Duke Lemur Center (Duke University)
Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute
Primate Info Net, Wisconsin National Primate Research Center (University of Wisconsin-Madison)
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Library (Ring-tailed Lemur Fact Sheet)
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Library (Ring-tailed Lemur Fact Sheet)
|
| Movement | Females stay in their birth troop for life, while males disperse: they leave their natal troop between three and five years of age, often in pairs or trios, and transfer between troops again as adults.sources disagreeMales move into new troops during the six months from December to May, especially during the brief breeding season. One account says males generally change groups when they reach sexual maturity at age three. Another account says up to 1/3 of the males move between troops each year. | Sources disagree · Primate Info Net, Wisconsin National Primate Research Center (University of Wisconsin-Madison), Animal Diversity Web (University of Michigan Museum of Zoology), Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, Duke Lemur Center (Duke University), San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Library (Ring-tailed Lemur Fact Sheet) — how we knowWhat each reading says
Accounts give different transfer intervals for males: every 2 to 5 years in one; on average once every 1.4 years for males aged three to four and once every 3.5 years for prime-age males in another. Primate Info Net, Wisconsin National Primate Research Center (University of Wisconsin-Madison)
Animal Diversity Web (University of Michigan Museum of Zoology)
Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute
Duke Lemur Center (Duke University)
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Library (Ring-tailed Lemur Fact Sheet)
|
| Human interaction | Its forests are cleared for farming, overgrazed, burned and cut for charcoal; in some areas it is hunted for food, often with dogs, and it is captured for the pet trade. Listed in CITES Appendix I and as endangered under U.S. law; a common draw for ecotourism in southern Madagascar.It is the most common lemur in the pet trade; in the United States it is occasionally marketed as a pet and is legal to own in some states. Local taboos against hunting lemurs are beginning to disappear. CITES listed it in Appendix II in 1975 and in Appendix I from 1977; all Lemuridae were listed as endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1970. It raids melon and sweet potato crops. | Matches source · Duke Lemur Center (Duke University), Primate Info Net, Wisconsin National Primate Research Center (University of Wisconsin-Madison), Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Library (Ring-tailed Lemur Fact Sheet), Lemur Conservation Network, Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS), Animal Diversity Web (University of Michigan Museum of Zoology) — how we knowDuke Lemur Center (Duke University)
Primate Info Net, Wisconsin National Primate Research Center (University of Wisconsin-Madison)
Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Library (Ring-tailed Lemur Fact Sheet)
Lemur Conservation Network
Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS)
Animal Diversity Web (University of Michigan Museum of Zoology)
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Library (Ring-tailed Lemur Fact Sheet)
|
References for the facts above
- UniversityDuke Lemur Center (Duke University)Supports: identification, range, habitat, diet, weight, activity, social structure, reproduction, movement, human interaction. Retrieved 2026-10-20.Limitations: Undated species page of a research center that keeps ring-tailed lemurs; its Quick Facts (adult size, sexual maturity, number of young) do not say whether they describe wild or captive animals.
- UniversityAnimal Diversity Web (University of Michigan Museum of Zoology)Supports: identification, range, habitat, diet, body size, body mass, lifespan, activity, social structure, reproduction, movement, human interaction; group-page habitat discrepancy. Retrieved 2026-10-20.Limitations: Student-authored account (Baumhofer 2017, last updated 2017-02-05). Its data panel gives the body-length range as 39 to 46 mm where the text has cm, lists wild lifespans (average 27 years, high 33) far above field-study ages, and tags the sexes both 'alike' and 'female larger'. Its IUCN status (Near Threatened) is out of date and not used.
- UniversitySmithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology InstituteSupports: identification, habitat, diet, body size, body mass, lifespan, activity, social structure, reproduction, movement, human interaction. Retrieved 2026-10-20.Limitations: Undated zoo species account without in-text references; its size, mass and median life-expectancy figures do not say whether they come from wild or captive animals. Its tail-band count (exactly 13) differs from another account and is not used.
- UniversityPrimate Info Net, Wisconsin National Primate Research Center (University of Wisconsin-Madison)Supports: identification, range, habitat, diet, body size, body mass, lifespan, activity, social structure, reproduction, movement, human interaction. Retrieved 2026-10-20.Limitations: Cawthon Lang (2005) factsheet, last modified 21 September 2005, built mainly on long-term field studies at Berenty and Beza Mahafaly; captive-population and introduction details are dated. It places the brief wild breeding season in May in one passage and in April in another.
- ReferenceSan Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Library (Ring-tailed Lemur Fact Sheet)Supports: lifespan (managed care), reproduction (gestation, litter size, weaning). Retrieved 2026-10-20.Limitations: Compiled fact sheet (c2009-2018, partial update 2015; guide last updated Jan 14, 2026) in note form, citing mainly Mittermeier et al. (2010), Sussman (1999) and Sauther et al. (1999); quick-reference figures do not say whether they come from wild or captive animals unless stated.
- ReferenceSan Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Library (Ring-tailed Lemur Fact Sheet)Supports: activity, social structure, movement. Retrieved 2026-10-20.Limitations: Compiled fact sheet (c2009-2018, partial update 2015; guide last updated Jan 14, 2026) in note form, citing mainly Mittermeier et al. (2010), Sussman (1999) and Sauther et al. (1999); quick-reference figures do not say whether they come from wild or captive animals unless stated.
- ReferenceSan Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Library (Ring-tailed Lemur Fact Sheet)Supports: identification, body size, body mass. Retrieved 2026-10-20.Limitations: Compiled fact sheet (c2009-2018, partial update 2015; guide last updated Jan 14, 2026) in note form, citing mainly Mittermeier et al. (2010), Sussman (1999) and Sauther et al. (1999); quick-reference figures do not say whether they come from wild or captive animals unless stated. Its tail-band count (13-14 black, 12-13 white) is not used because another account differs.
- ReferenceSan Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Library (Ring-tailed Lemur Fact Sheet)Supports: diet, human interaction (crop raiding). Retrieved 2026-10-20.Limitations: Compiled fact sheet (c2009-2018, partial update 2015; guide last updated Jan 14, 2026) in note form, citing mainly Mittermeier et al. (2010), Sussman (1999) and Sauther et al. (1999); quick-reference figures do not say whether they come from wild or captive animals unless stated. It calls the species herbivorous ('Vegetarians') while also listing invertebrates among foods.
- ReferenceSan Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Library (Ring-tailed Lemur Fact Sheet)Supports: range, habitat. Retrieved 2026-10-20.Limitations: Compiled fact sheet (c2009-2018, partial update 2015; guide last updated Jan 14, 2026) in note form, citing mainly Mittermeier et al. (2010), Sussman (1999) and Sauther et al. (1999); quick-reference figures do not say whether they come from wild or captive animals unless stated.
- ReferenceSan Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Library (Ring-tailed Lemur Fact Sheet)Supports: human interaction (hunting, pet trade, legal protection). Retrieved 2026-10-20.Limitations: Compiled fact sheet (c2009-2018, partial update 2015; guide last updated Jan 14, 2026) in note form, citing mainly Mittermeier et al. (2010), Sussman (1999) and Sauther et al. (1999); quick-reference figures do not say whether they come from wild or captive animals unless stated. Population estimates and IUCN status on this page are not used (conservation status is supplied from IUCN).
- ReferenceSan Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Library (Ring-tailed Lemur Fact Sheet)Supports: lifespan (managed care), reproduction (breeding season). Retrieved 2026-10-20.Limitations: Compiled fact sheet (c2009-2018, partial update 2015; guide last updated Jan 14, 2026) in note form, citing mainly Mittermeier et al. (2010), Sussman (1999) and Sauther et al. (1999); quick-reference figures do not say whether they come from wild or captive animals unless stated.
- ReferenceAnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database (Human Ageing Genomic Resources)Supports: lifespan (maximum recorded longevity in captivity). Retrieved 2026-10-20.Limitations: Build 15 (03/07/2023). The 37.3-year record cites Weigl (2005), Longevity of Mammals in Captivity, rated large sample size and high data quality; its life-history averages are not tied to wild or captive animals.
- Wildlife referenceLemur Conservation NetworkSupports: habitat, activity, social structure, human interaction. Retrieved 2026-10-20.Limitations: Short conservation-network fact sheet without in-text references; the only cited account that calls the species cathemeral.
- ReferenceIntegrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS)Supports: identity cross-check (TSN 572872, valid, synonym Maki mococo, class Mammalia); human interaction (CITES Appendix I, U.S. ESA Endangered). Retrieved 2026-10-20.Limitations: Taxonomic registry; its status comment also gives an IUCN category (Vulnerable) that is out of date and not used.
Frequently Asked Questions — Ring-Tailed Lemur
Why do ring-tailed lemurs sunbathe?
In the morning a troop moves into the sun and turns the less densely furred belly toward it, which warms the animals up before they forage.
Which sex is dominant in a ring-tailed lemur troop?
Females. Adult females dominate adult males, and a top-ranking female is the focal point of the group. Females stay in their birth troop for life, while males move between troops.
Where do ring-tailed lemurs live?
They are native only to southern and southwestern Madagascar, where they live in habitats from gallery forest and spiny bush to rocky outcrops and montane forest, from sea level to 2,600 m.
Is the ring-tailed lemur endangered?
IUCN's global assessment lists it as Endangered (2020). Its forests are cleared, burned and cut for charcoal, it is hunted for food in some areas, and it is captured for the pet trade.
Sources and further reading
Authoritative wildlife references used for general educational context. Conservation status should always be verified against current IUCN Red List data. External links open in a new tab.
- UniversityDuke Lemur Center (Duke University) — Ring-tailed lemur (Duke Lemur Center) — identification, range, habitat, diet, weight, activity, social structure, reproduction, movement, human interaction
- UniversityAnimal Diversity Web (University of Michigan Museum of Zoology) — Lemur catta (ring-tailed lemur) species account — identification, range, habitat, diet, body size, body mass, lifespan, activity, social structure, reproduction, movement, human interaction; group-page habitat discrepancy
- UniversitySmithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute — Ring-tailed lemur (Smithsonian's National Zoo) — identification, habitat, diet, body size, body mass, lifespan, activity, social structure, reproduction, movement, human interaction
- UniversityPrimate Info Net, Wisconsin National Primate Research Center (University of Wisconsin-Madison) — Ring-tailed lemur fact sheet (Primate Info Net) — identification, range, habitat, diet, body size, body mass, lifespan, activity, social structure, reproduction, movement, human interaction
- ReferenceSan Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Library (Ring-tailed Lemur Fact Sheet) — Ring-tailed lemur fact sheet: summary — lifespan (managed care), reproduction (gestation, litter size, weaning)
- ReferenceSan Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Library (Ring-tailed Lemur Fact Sheet) — Ring-tailed lemur fact sheet: behavior and ecology — activity, social structure, movement
- ReferenceSan Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Library (Ring-tailed Lemur Fact Sheet) — Ring-tailed lemur fact sheet: physical characteristics — identification, body size, body mass
- ReferenceSan Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Library (Ring-tailed Lemur Fact Sheet) — Ring-tailed lemur fact sheet: diet and feeding — diet, human interaction (crop raiding)
- ReferenceSan Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Library (Ring-tailed Lemur Fact Sheet) — Ring-tailed lemur fact sheet: distribution and habitat — range, habitat
- ReferenceSan Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Library (Ring-tailed Lemur Fact Sheet) — Ring-tailed lemur fact sheet: population and conservation status — human interaction (hunting, pet trade, legal protection)
- ReferenceSan Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Library (Ring-tailed Lemur Fact Sheet) — Ring-tailed lemur fact sheet: reproduction and development — lifespan (managed care), reproduction (breeding season)
- ReferenceAnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database (Human Ageing Genomic Resources) — Lemur catta longevity entry — lifespan (maximum recorded longevity in captivity)
- Wildlife referenceLemur Conservation Network — Ring-tailed lemur fact sheet (Lemur Conservation Network) — habitat, activity, social structure, human interaction
- ReferenceIntegrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) — Lemur catta, TSN 572872 — identity cross-check (TSN 572872, valid, synonym Maki mococo, class Mammalia); human interaction (CITES Appendix I, U.S. ESA Endangered)
- ReferenceMammal Diversity Database (American Society of Mammalogists) — Lemur catta (ring-tailed lemur) — identity: accepted name, authorship, classification, synonyms