Ring-tailed lemur
Lemur catta
— Where the name comes from
Lemur is Latin: the lemures were the restless spirits of the dead, and Linnaeus gave the name to these nocturnal primates with their great eyes and silent movement. Catta, “cat”, for the long tail and the padding gait. It is the face of Madagascar itself, the island where all lemurs, and only there, evolved.
— Facts
- Group
- Mammals · Mammalia
- Order
- Primates
- Habitat
- Dry forest, spiny thicket, rocky gorges
- Range
- Southern and south-western Madagascar
- Size
- 39–46 cm of body, plus a tail of 56–63 cm, 2–3.5 kg
- Diet
- Omnivore — fruit, leaves, flowers, with the odd insect
- Lifespan
- 16–19 years
— Characteristics
- 01
The black-and-white ringed tail, held upright, works as a flag so the group does not scatter.
- 02
It lives in groups led by a dominant female, which is rare among primates.
- 03
It sunbathes sitting with legs apart and belly exposed, to warm up in the morning.
— What sets it apart
Male ring-tailed lemurs fight with smell: they rub their tails on glands on the forearms, loaded with a pungent secretion, then waft them at their rival in outright “stink fights”. Whoever gives way first moves off. It is a ritual contest that settles rank without shedding blood, and turns a mere scent into a duelling weapon.
