Care of Ringtails for True Sanctuaries

Moskito Sanctuary Brief – Lara Mostert
INTRODUCTION
Ring-tail lemurs are the National animal of Madagascar, and the most easily recognisable of all the lemur
species. They are the only lemurs with a long, bushy black-and-white striped tail. They spending more time
in open areas than the other lemurs of Madagascar, Ring-tailed lemurs are also very sociable and will relax
in groups while they sit cross-legged in a yoga (Buddha) position and soak up the early morning sun.
ABOUT RING-TAILED LEMURS
Ring-tailed lemurs belong to the order “prosimian” and are exclusively found in the wild in Madagascar.
During the continental shift, Madagascar became seperated from the rest of the African continent, resulting
in an evolution of unique flora and fauna. Favoured by the absence of preditors on the scale witnessed in
Africa, the primates on the portion of the continent that became Madagascar,evolved to become
“prosimians” of which there are several varieties the Ring-tail lemurs are one.
Most lemur species have become extremely endangered due the demands on and the destruction of their
habitat and the ever escalating “bush meat” trade.
Ring-tails prefer moving about on the ground but also enter forests where they have been known to climb
the height of the canopy. Typically, a Ring-tail lemurs face resembles that of fox. Even more conspicuous is
their tail with alternating black and white rings. The ringed tail has been known to reach 55cm in length,
which is 10cm more than their body length. The tail is used to assist with balancing while sitting on thin
branches, as well as to control their balance during leaps from one branch to another. It also plays an
important role during social interactions. While walking on the ground, Ring-tailed lemurs put their tails up in
the air, allows those that follow to identify the unique markings. The rings on a Ring-tail lemurs tail is similar
to a barcode, no two lemur ever has the same markings, it is their unique „fingerprint‟.
In Madagascar, Ring-tail lemurs are known as Hira (Malagasy), Maky (Malagasy), or Maki (French).
Moskito Sanctuary Brief – Lara Mostert
Ring-tailed Lemur are highly social, and lives in groups of up to 30 individuals. The groups are female
dominant, a trait which is common among all lemurs. Ring-tail lemur groups defends a small territory of
between 5 to 20 hectares depending on the abundance of food.
Below: To keep warm and reaffirm social bonds, groups will huddle together.
Ring-tailed lemurs are mainley of all vegetarians, but like other primates will if the opportunity presents
itself, taste and sometimes eat protein. They love sunbathing, when they sit orientated towards the sun with
their arms and legs extended for a long time. When they sunbathe they sit upright, with the thinner white fur
on the stomack towards the sun. Ring-tails need sunlight to absorb Vitamin D.
The young of in a Ring-tail lemur group are born more or less simultaneously. Newborn Ring-tailed lemurs
have blue eyes, which become bright yellow as they get older. Normally the female gives birth to a single
young, which she carries clung to the fur of her belly. When older the young will ride on its mother's back
and will with time jump off and explore on its own more and more. Females of the same group help each
other raising their young. As one of the most vocal primates, Ring-tailed Lemurs utilizes numerous
vocalizations including group cohesion and alarm calls. Despite the lack of a large brain Ring-tailed Lemurs
can organize sequences, understand basic arithmetic and preferentially select tools based on functional
qualities.
Moskito Sanctuary Brief – Lara Mostert
Stink fights
Ring-tail males performs a very unique behaviour when challenging other males called “stink fighting”.
Males transfer scent from their scent glands onto their tails. They then quickly flick their tail back and throw
over their heads and shaking it at the rival male.
During these duels they rub their tails against the cent glands on their lower forearms, this spreads the
secretions of the arm glands onto their tails and as they wave them in the direction of the rival, the Ring-tail
with the more dominant smell is victorious. The formation of a hierarchy is settled this way, and stink fights
are also used to defend home-ranges against other groups. The wrist gland, as well as a gland in the area
of the genitals, together with the male wrist spur is used to mark teritorries. When a duel fails to be resolved
by stink fighting, the males may revert to jump fighting.
Below: Rival males jump fighting
Males can demonstrate a more violent challenge behaviour termed “jump fighting”. This behaviour is most
often seen during the breeding season and involves high leaps into the air that are followed by full body
aggressive contact with slashing bites from their incredibly sharp and long canines and arm spurs.
Defeated males will migrate to another group and repeat the process. Through this emigration and
immigration practice, genetic exchange occurs and inbreeding is avoided.
Duke University researchers, using sophisticated machinery to analize hundreds of chemical components
in a Ring-tailed lemur's distinctive scent, have found that individual males are not only advertising their
fitness for fatherhood, but also a bit about their family tree as well.
All lemurs make use of scent and the diversity of glands is just amazing.
Ring-tailed males also have scent glands on their genitals as well as shoulders and wrists, each of which
makes different scents. Other lemur species also have glands on their heads, chests and hands. Add to
these scents the signals that can be conveyed in feaces and urine, and there's a lot of silent, cryptic
communication going on in any lemur society.
Moskito Sanctuary Brief – Lara Mostert
Above left: Lemur scent gland.
Above right: Lemurs scent marking
The presence of a pair of glands on the shoulders "like misplaced nipples" is used in the manufacture of
squalene, a scent molecule that works like glue to keep the more aromatic compounds in place longer.
Males can be seen dabbing the wrist gland on the chest gland and then scratch-marking. The wrist glands
are also central to the "stink fighting" of ringtails.
The male Ring-tail lemur also has a very important scent gland on his scrotum that becomes critical to
marking territory and advertising fitness during mating season. He does a handstand and rubs this gland
directly onto a tree trunk to let any interested lemurs know who he is and what he‟s made of.
When a lemur is ill or socially stressed, its scent changes dramatically. If he loses his signals, it's quite
likely its because he's less genetically fit, and his sexual or social partners can or rather will know that.
Above left and right: Male Ring-tails have a fingernail-like spur near each wrist that emit a strong scent for
marking territories.
Female ring-tailed lemurs have just one scent gland in the genital area, but their scent is more complex
than the males. Females advertise not only their fertility, but the presence of a pregnancy and how far
along it is.
To a human, a lemur has a sort of musky scent. But under a gas chromatograph and mass spectrometer it
was found that the powerful musk resolves into at least 203 different chemical compounds in a complex mix
that has been found to vary not only by season, but by an individual‟s genetics as well.
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Mating
Ring-tails breed polygynously. Although they live in multi-male, multi-female troops, there is typically one
central popular male who interacts more with females than the other males.
The mating season is the time when the most fighting occurs. Females compete among themselves for
space and resources, and males fight for reproductive access to females. Ring-tail males are known to be
slapped by the females, have their hair is pulled out and even have limb digits bitten during a mating frenzy.
There is a good reason for this. Female Ring-tail lemurs are only reseptive for 24 hours of the year, with 4
to 6 hours being the most fertile. There is generally only one man the girls are after, the main man, the
winner of the stink fight, and often all the girls will jump him simultantiously or one after the other. If the
male does not play along, he is slapped about until he does.
Reproduction
Fighting is most common during the breeding season. A receptive female may initiate mating by presenting
her backside, lifting her tail and looking at the desired male over her shoulder. Males may inspect the
female's genitals to determine receptiveness. Females typically mate within their troop, but may seek
outside males.
In the wild Ring-tails mate from April to June and gives birth in August or September. Females are in
usterus for only 24 hours, and all of the females within a troop come into ustrus within that period. The
normal gestation period is 4 to 4.5 months (about 135 days), after which females give birth to 1 or 2 young.
Surviving young are weaned after 5 months of age.
Kidnapping by females and infanticide by males also occur occasionally. Due to harsh environmental
conditions, predation and accidents such as falls, can result in infant mortality as high as 50% within the
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first year and as few as 30% may reach adulthood. Ring-tailed Lemur can live for between 16 and 19 years
in the wild (and 27 to 33 years in captivity).
Males are capable of breeding at 2.5 years of age, but may not be allowed to do so by the older males in
the group. Females usually have their first offspring at the age of 3 years and continue to produce offspring
annually. In captivity, females breed from as young as 2 years of age.
Female Ring-tails provide the bulk of the care for their offspring. They shelter, groom, carry, and feed the
young. Young are initially carried on the abdomen, but as they grow, they begin to ride on the mother's
back.
A young female will remain with her natal group (group she was born in) for her lifetime, however young
males reaching sexual maturity (two to three years old) will transfer out and join other groups in search of
unrelated females to mate with. When young males transfer out of their natal group they will often travel in
pairs or trios. They work together as a unit while searching for and eventually integrating into a new group.
If they are successful finding a new group, the first order of business is to challenge the resident mature
males for breeding rights with the new females.
Females with offspring form a very tight social unit and will interact and travel together as well as share
babysitting duties, feed & sleep together.
.
Moskito Sanctuary Brief – Lara Mostert
Visual communication
The Ring-tail lemur visual signals are not as plentiful as they are with some other monkeys and apes, since
they lack many of the muscles used in common primate facial expressions. However, Ring-tailed Lemurs
have demonstrated distinct facial expressions including a threat stare, pulled back lips for submission, and
pulled back ears along with flared nostrils during scent-marking. This species has also been observed
using yawns as threats. Their ringed tails also communicate distance, warn off neighbouring troops, and
help locate troop members.
Visual communication signals, such as body postures and facial expressions are used, in addition to vocal
communication. Ring tailed lemurs are known to use scent marking, and even to engage in "stink battles".
Tactile communication is important between mothers and their young, as well as between mates. This
includes grooming, play, and mating.
staring open-mouth face: This is where the eyes are opened wide, the mouth is open with the teeth
covered by the lips. This occurs when mobbing a predator or serves to communicate an inhibited threat.
staring bared-teeth scream face: This is where the eye are opened wide, the mouth is open with the
corners drawn back so that the teeth and gums are revealed. This display occurs with terror flight.
silent bared-teeth face: This is where the eyes are staring at the stimulus, the eye brows are either
relaxed or up, and the corners of the mouth are drawn back allowing the teeth to show. This is used to
communicate submission or a friendly approach.
bared-teeth gecker face: This is like silent bared-teeth face only with a rapid noise attached to it. This
display occurs during subordinate flee-approach conflicts and also when an infant is bothered.
pout face: This is where the eyes are opened wide and the lips are pushed forward such that the mouth
resembles an "O" shape. This occurs with contact calls and also occurs with begging.
Moskito Sanctuary Brief – Lara Mostert
hoot face: This is where the lips are pushed forward to resemble something called a "trumpet-mouth". This
dispaly occurs with long-distance calls (e.g. territorial calls).
Olfactory communication
Male Ring-tailed Lemurs will scent-mark saplings by spur-marking. Olfactory communication is critically
important for prosimians like the Ring-tailed lemur. Males and females scent mark both vertical and
horizontal surfaces at the overlaps in their home ranges using their anogenital scent glands. The Ringtailed Lemur will perform a handstand to mark vertical surfaces, grasping the highest point with its feet
while it applies its scent. Use of scent marking varies by age, sex and social status. Male lemurs use their
antebrachial and brachial glands to demarcate territories and maintain intragroup dominance hierarchies.
The thorny spur that overlays the antebrachial gland on each wrist is scraped against tree trunks to create
grooves anointed with their scent. This is known as spur-marking.
Olfaction can communicate information about age, sex, reproductive status, as well as demarcate the
boundaries of a territory. It is most useful for communication between animals that rarely encounter each
other. Some Ring-tail lemurs defecate in specific areas, otherwise known as latrine behaviour. Although
many animals exhibit this behaviour, it is a rare trait among primates. Latrine behaviour can represent
territorial marking and aid in interspecies signaling.
Moskito Sanctuary Brief – Lara Mostert
Vocal communication
Compared to other mammals, primates in general are very vocal, and lemurs are no exception. Some
lemur species like the Ring-tail lemurs have extensive vocal repertoires. Some of the most common calls
among lemurs are predator alarm calls. Lemurs not only respond to alarm calls of their own species, but
also alarm calls of other species and those of non-predatory birds. The Ring-tailed Lemur and a few other
species have different calls and reactions to specific types of predators. Lemur calls can also be very loud
and carry long distances.
The Ring-tailed Lemur is one of the most vocal primates and has a complex array of distinct vocalizations
used to maintain group cohesion during foraging and alert group members to the presence of a predator.
Calls range from simple to complex. An example of a simple call is the purr which expresses contentment.
A complex call is the sequence of clicks, close-mouth click series (CMCS), open-mouth click series
(OMCS) and yaps used during predator mobbing. Some calls have variants and undergo transitions
between variants, such as an infant "whit" (distress call) transitioning from one variant to another.
The most commonly heard vocalisations are the moan (low-to-moderate arousal, group cohesion), earlyhigh wail (moderate-to-high arousal, group cohesion), and clicks ("location marker" to draw attention).
Listed below are the 5 main forms of vocal communication amongst Ring-tail lemurs.
infant contact calls: this sound consists of a soft purr.
cohesion call: this is used when the group is widely dispersed and sounds like a cat's meow.
territorial call: this call sounds like a howl, and may be heard for up to a kilometer.
alarm call: this call starts out as a grunt then becomes a bark.
repulsion call: this call is a series of staccato grunts sounds, and occurs between two individuals.
Moskito Sanctuary Brief – Lara Mostert
Ring-tailed Lemur sunning
In the mornings the Ring-tailed Lemur sunbathes to warm itself. They face the sun sitting in what is
frequently described as a "sun-worshipping" posture or Lotus position. They sits with their legs extended
outward, not cross-legged, and will often support themselves against branches. Sunning is often a group
activity, particularly during a cold mornings. In contrast, at night, troops will split into sleeping parties
huddling closely together to keep warm. A group of huddled Ring-tailed Lemurs is referred to as a lemur
ball.
Despite being quadrupedal the Ring-tailed Lemur can rear up and balance on its hind legs, usually for
aggressive displays. When threatened the Ring-tailed Lemur may jump in the air and strike out with its
short nails and sharp upper canine teeth in a behaviour termed jump fighting. This is extremely rare outside
of the breeding season when tensions are high and competition for mates is intense. Other aggressive
behaviours include a threat-stare, used to intimidate or start a fight, and a submissive gesture known as
pulled-back lips.
Border disputes with rival troops occur occasionally and it is the dominant female's responsibility to defend
the troop's home range. Agonistic encounters include staring, lunging approaches and occasional physical
aggression, and conclude with troop members retreating toward the center of the home range.
Etymology
The genus name Lemur was first used by Carl Linnaeus, the founder of modern binomial nomenclature, to
describe "Lemur tardigradus" (the Red Slender Loris, now known as Loris tardigradus) in his 1754 catalog
of the Museum of King Adolf Frederick. In 1758, his 10th edition of Systema Naturae listed the genus
Lemur with three included species: Lemur tardigradus, Lemur catta (the Ring-tailed Lemur), and Lemur
volans (the Philippine Colugo, now known as Cynocephalus volans). In 1911, Oldfield Thomas made
Lemur catta the type species for the genus, despite the term initially being used to describe lorises. On
Moskito Sanctuary Brief – Lara Mostert
January 10, 1929, the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) formalized this
decision in its publication of Opinion 122.
Above: Lemur love
Linnaeus was familiar with the historical works of Virgil and Ovid and their references to the festival of
Lemuria, during which specters or ghosts - referred to as lemurs - were exorcised. As an analogy to these
ghosts from Roman mythology, he created the name "Lemur" to include these prosimian primates due to
their nocturnal habits and ghost-like appearance. Their noiseless movements at night, reflective eyes, and
ghostly cries may also have been a factor. It is even possible that Linnaeus knew that the some Malagasy
people have held legends that lemurs are the souls of their ancestors.
The species name, catta, meaning "cat" in New Latin, was assigned due to the similarity between the Ringtailed Lemur's purring vocalization and that of the Domestic Cat.
Evolutionary history
All mammalian fossils from Madagascar come from recent times. Thus, little is known about the evolution of
the Ring-tailed Lemur, let alone the infraorder Lemuriformes, which comprises the entire endemic primate
population of the island. However, chromosomal and molecular evidence suggest that lemurs are more
closely related to each other than to other Strepsirrhine primates. For this to have happened, it is thought
that a very small ancestral population came to Madagascar via a single rafting event between 50 and 80
million years ago. Subsequent evolutionary radiation and speciation has created the diversity of Malagasy
lemurs seen today.
Moskito Sanctuary Brief – Lara Mostert
Below: Females and offspring huddle together like a football team would, but with tails that are intertwined and held over
one another’s shoulder or back to form a “lemur ball”. All lemurs face inward with only the backs of the animals on the
outer row exposed to the elements (rain or cold weather). Unfortunately, mature males are not invited to participate in the
lemur ball and are expected to sleep on their own, or with the other mature males.
Changes in taxonomy
The Ring-tailed Lemur shares many similarities with the members of its subfamily, and its skeleton is nearly
indistinguishable from that of the brown lemurs. For these reasons, the Ring-tailed Lemur, brown lemurs
and ruffed lemurs were once grouped together in the genus Lemur. However, ruffed lemurs were
reassigned to the genus Varecia in 1962, and due to similarities between the Ring-tailed Lemur and the
bamboo lemurs, particularly in regards to molecular evidence and scent glands similarities, the brown
lemurs were moved to the genus Eulemur in 1988. The genus Lemur is now monotypic, containing only the
Ring-tailed Lemur. Although not all authorities agree, the majority of the primatological community currently
favours this classification.
Anatomy and physiology
The Ring-tailed lemur's tail is longer than its body. An adult Ring-tailed Lemur may reach a body length
between 39 and 46cm (15 and 18 in) and a weight between 2.3 and 3.5 kg (5.1 and 7.7 lb) its tail can reach
a length of 55cm. The species has a slender frame and narrow face, fox-like muzzle. Like all lemurs, their
hind limbs are longer than their forelimbs. Females have two pairs of mammary glands, but only one pair is
functional.
Furless scent glands are present on both males and females. Both genders have apocrine and sebaceous
glands in their genital regions, as well as antebrachial glands located on the inner surface of the forearm in
Moskito Sanctuary Brief – Lara Mostert
proximity of the wrist. However, only the male has a horny spur that overlays this scent gland. The males
also have brachial glands on the axillary surface of their shoulders.
The Ring-tailed Lemur's trademark, a long, bushy tail, is ringed in alternating black and white transverse
stripes numbering at least 13 rings, but could have as many as 15 rings, and always ending in a black tip.
The tail is not prehensile and is only used for balance, communication, and group cohesion.
The pelage, or fur, is dense. The ventral (chest) coat and throat are white or cream, and the dorsal (back)
coat is grey to rosy-brown. The crown is dark grey, while the ears and cheeks are white. The muzzle is dark
grayish and the nose is black, and the eyes are encompassed by black lozenge-shaped patches. The black
skin is visible on the nose, genitalia, and the palms and soles of the limbs.
The Ring-tailed Lemur shares several adaptations with other lemurs. Its fingers are slender, padded, and
semi-dexterous with flat, human-like nails. It grooms orally by licking and tooth-scraping with narrow,
procumbent lower incisors and canines, called a toothcomb. Lastly, it has a toilet-claw (sometimes referred
to as a grooming claw) on the second toe of each hind limb specialized for personal grooming, specifically
to rake through fur that is unreachable by the mouth and toothcomb.
Moskito Sanctuary Brief – Lara Mostert
Ring-tail eyes can be a bright yellow or orange. Unlike most diurnal primates, but like all strepsirhine
primates, the Ring-tailed Lemur has a tapetum lucidum, or reflective layer behind the retina of the eye, that
enhances night vision.
Sympatric relations
In the wild the following lemur species have an overlapping geographic range (are sympatric) with the Ringtailed Lemur:
Verreaux's Sifaka (Propithecus verreauxi); Red-tailed Sportive Lemur (Lepilemur ruficaudatus); Whitefooted Sportive Lemur (Lepilemur leucopus); Red-fronted Brown Lemur (Eulemur rufus); Greater Dwarf
Lemur (Cheirogaleus major); Fat-tailed Dwarf Lemur (Cheirogaleus medius); Aye-aye (Daubentonia
madagascariensis); Eastern Lesser Bamboo Lemur (Hapalemur griseus).
Predators
All lemurs experience some predation pressure. Common defenses against predation include the use of
alarm calls and predator mobbing. According to a study in kinematics, the leaping abilities of lemurs may
have evolved for predator avoidance rather than for travel.
Ring-tail lemurs are visible during the day, so many live in groups, where the increased number of eyes and
ears helps aid in predator detection.
Ring-tailed lemurs have both native and introduced predators. Native predators include the Fossa
(Cryptoprocta ferox), the Madagascar Harrier-hawk (Polyboroides radiatus), the Madagascar Buzzard
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(Buteo brachypterus) and the Madagascar Ground Boa (Boa madagascariensis). Introduced predators
include the Small Indian Civet (Viverricula indica), the Domestic Cat and the Domestic Status in the wild.
Cognitive abilities and tool use
Ring-tail lemurs have traditionally been regarded as being less intelligent than anthropoid primates, with
monkeys and apes often described as having more cunning, guile, and deceptiveness. Many lemur
species, such as Sifakas and the Ring-tailed Lemur, have scored lower on tests designed for monkeys
while performing as well as monkeys on other tests. These comparisons may not be fair since lemurs
prefer to manipulate objects with their mouths (rather than their hands) and only take interest in objects
when in captivity. Tool use has not been witnessed by lemurs in the wild, although in captivity Ring-tailed
lemurs have been demonstrated to be able to understand and use tools.
Moskito Sanctuary Brief – Lara Mostert
Below: Ring-tailed lemur sunbathing. Ring-tailed lemurs need plenty of sunshine in order to be healthy. They absorb
Vitamin D from the sunshine while they sunbathe.
Diet in the wild
The wild Ring-tailed lemurs of Madagascar primarily eat fruits and leaves, particularly those of the tamarind
tree (Tamarindus indica), known natively as kily. When available, tamarind makes up as much as 50% of
the diet, especially during the dry, winter season. The Ring-tailed Lemur eats from as many as three dozen
different plant species, and its diet includes flowers, herbs, bark and sap. It has been observed eating
decayed wood, earth, spider webs, insect cocoons, arthropods (spiders, caterpillars, cicadas and
grasshoppers) and small vertebrates (birds and chameleons).
Diet in Captivity
In captivity, lemurs eat fresh produce such as carrot, oranges, naartjies, bananas, mango, paw paw,
watermelon, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, gooseberries, grapes, lettuce, apple, pear, strawberries, brussel
sprouts, cooked pumpkin, sweet potato, brown rice, pap, gem squash and potato. The lemurs at
Monkeyland are also given other enrichment foods such as cheese, dates, boiled or scrambled egg, lemur
balls, raisins, sweetcorn cakes and jelly bites. We also feed Royal Canine or Hills cat food (small round
pellets). The Lemurs prefer the chicken flavour.
Monkeyland treats
Monkeyland Lemur balls
6 eggs, 2 teaspoon salt, 2 mugs of seeds (mixed sunflower, sesame, poppy, pumpkin seeds, and
pine nuts), 1 mug of pulped fruit (fruit puree), 2 table spoons of honey, flaked or finely chopped
hazel nuts or almonds.
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4 table spoons of Calsium powder, 250ml plain or fruit flavoured yogurt, 2 table spoons of beefy
powder. Half a tin of Ensure powder.
Oats, ProNutro, Cerelac or Nestrum (ANY GOOD CEREAL). The amount needed is flexible, it forms
the base of the lemur balls and firms up the mixture.
Packet of grated coconut
Mix all the GREEN ingredients together
Add the ORANGE ingredients
Mix one of the BLUE ingredients with the GREEN and ORANGE ingredients until the mixture is firm and
you are able to roll the mixture into balls.
Roll the balls in the coconut and place in a cool room or a fridge to firm up. They are ready to serve
straight away too, but the balls must not be soggy. Make sure they are firm by adding the CEREAL untill
the balls are firm. If the balls are too firm, dry and the mixture does not bind, extra egg should be added.
Monkeyland sweetcorn cakes
4 tins of creamed sweetcorn, 2 teaspoon salt, plain flavoured cereal (to solidify the mixture), 4 eggs and
some seeds (sun flower or poppy seeds). Mix all the ingredients untill the mixture is firm. Roll into small
balls. Press the balls flat (not too flat) and roll the balls into the seeds. Ready to serve.
Monkeyland garlic balls.
1 mug crushed garlic, 20 bananas pureed, half a tin of ensure, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon vanilla flavour
(optional), 6 eggs. Use cereal to firm up the Garlic balls, as with the Lemur balls, then roll in coconut or
seeds.
Alternatives: Lemurs also enjoy raisons or dates in their treats.
Cultural references
In Malagasy culture lemurs, and animals in general, have souls (ambiroa) which can get revenge if mocked
while alive or if killed in a cruel fashion. Because of this, lemurs, like many other elements of daily life, have
been a source of taboo, known locally as fady, which can be based around stories with four basic
principles. A village or region may believe that a certain type of lemur may be the ancestor of the clan. They
may also believe that a lemur's spirit may get revenge. Alternatively, the animal may appear as a
benefactor. Lemurs are also thought to impart their qualities, good or bad, onto human babies. In general,
fady extends beyond a sense of the forbidden, but can include events that bring bad luck.
One example of lemur fady told around 1970 comes from Ambatofinandrahana in the Fianarantsoa
Province. According to the fady, a man brought a lemur home in a trap, but alive. His children wanted to
keep the lemur as a pet, but when the father told them it was not a domestic animal, the children asked to
kill it. After the children tortured the lemur, it eventually died and was eaten. A short time later, all the
children died of illness. As a result, the father declared that anyone who tortures lemurs for fun shall "be
destroyed and have no descendants."
Moskito Sanctuary Brief – Lara Mostert
Fady can not only help protect lemurs and their forests under stable socioeconomic situations, but they can
also lead to discrimination and persecution if a lemur is known to bring bad fortune, for instance, if it walks
through town. In other ways, fady does not protect all lemurs equally. For example, although the hunting
and eating of certain species may be taboo, other species may not share that same protection and are
therefore targeted instead. Fady can vary from village to village within the same region. If people move to a
new village or region, their fady may not apply to the lemur species that are locally present, making them
available for consumption. Fady restrictions on lemur meat can be relaxed in times of famine and drought.
Ecology
Ring-tailed Lemurs can leap from tree to tree. Ring-tailed Lemurs are diurnal and semi-terrestrial. It is the
most terrestrial of lemur species, spending as much as 33% of its time on the ground. However it is still
considerably arboreal, spending 23% of its time in the mid-level canopy, 25% in the upper-level canopy, 6%
in the emergent layer and 13% in small bushes. Troop travel is 70% terrestrial. Troop size, home range,
and population density vary by region and food availability. Troops typically range in size from 6 to 25,
although troops with over 30 individuals have been recorded. The average troop contains 13 to 15
individuals.
Moskito Sanctuary Brief – Lara Mostert
Above: Ring-tail lemurs resting next to a Black Lemur (Eulemur macaco). Below: A female Ring-tail with her twin babies.
Note their long tails. Just like mum, their tails are longer than their bodies.
Home range sizes varies between 6 and 35 hectares (15 and 86 acres). Troops of the Ring-tailed Lemur
will maintain a territory, but overlap is often high. When encounters occur, they are agonistic, or hostile in
nature. A troop will usually occupy the same part of its range for three or four days before moving. When it
does move, the average traveling distance is 1 km (0.62 mi).[19] Population density ranges from 100
individuals per 1 km2 (0.39 sq mi) in dry forests to 250–600 individuals per km2 in gallery and secondary
forests.
Sad but true: Madagascar has been
going through some serious political
upheaval in the past 6 months and
this has affected its wildlife as well
as its people. The lack of law and
order has allowed the bush meat
trade to flourish and Conservation
International reports that record
numbers of Lemurs are being shot,
smoked and then served as
delicacies at local restaurants.
Basically Madagascar‟s natives are
biting the animal that could
potentially feed them in the future,
considering that the country's biggest
tourist draw are its Lemurs.
Moskito Sanctuary Brief – Lara Mostert
Geographic range and habitat
Left: Ring-tailed Lemurs are endemic to
southern and southwestern Madagascar.
The Ring-tailed Lemur ranges further into
highland areas than other lemurs. It inhabits
deciduous forests, dry scrub, montane
humid forests, and gallery forests (forests
along riverbanks).
Ring-tails strongly favours gallery forests,
but such forests have now been cleared
from much of Madagascar in order to create
pasture for livestock. Depending on
location, temperatures within its geographic
range can vary between −7 °C (19 °F) and 48
°C (118 °F).
Above: Baby ringtails are agile from a very young age. They jump, play and hang with other youngsters, but never stray
too far from their ever watchful mothers.
Moskito Sanctuary Brief – Lara Mostert
Are lemurs intelegent?
The notion that lemurs are unintelligent has been perpetuated by the view that the neocortex ratio (as a
measure of brain size) indicates intelligence. In fact, primatologist Alison Jolly noted early in her academic
career that some lemur species, such as the Ring-tailed Lemur, have evolved a social complexity similar to
that of cercopithecine monkeys, but not the corresponding intelligence.[32] After years of observations of
wild Ring-tailed Lemur populations at the Berenty Reserve in Madagascar and as well as baboons in Africa,
she more recently concluded that this highly social lemur species does not demonstrate the equivalent
social complexity of cercopithecine monkeys, despite general appearances.
Below: a wonderful example of ringbarking by Ring-tailed lemurs
Regardless, research has continued to
illuminate the complexity of the lemur mind,
with emphasis on the cognitive abilities of
the Ring-tailed Lemur. As early as the mid1970s, studies had demonstrated that they
could be trained through operant
conditioning using standard schedules of
reinforcement. The species has been shown
to be capable of learning pattern, brightness
and object discrimination, skills common
among vertebrates. The Ring-tailed Lemur
has also been shown to learn a variety of
complex tasks often equaling, if not
exceeding, the performance of simians.
More recently, research at the Duke Lemur
Center has shown that the Ring-tailed
Lemur can organize sequences in memory
and retrieve ordered sequences without
language. The experimental design
demonstrated that the lemurs were using
internal representation of the sequence to
guide their responses and not simply
following a trained sequence, where one
item in the sequence cues the selection of
the next. But this is not the limit of the Ringtailed Lemur's reasoning skills. Another
study, performed at the Myakka City Lemur
Reserve, suggests that this species along
with several other closely related lemur
species understand simple arithmetic
operations.
The Ring-tailed lemur is part of the genus lemur, and there are no
other types of this genus found in Madagascar. The Ring-tailed
lemurs are the only species in this genus, because of odd scent
glands found on the wrist and close to the arm pits. Because the
ring-tailed lemur is so unique, there are no other sub-species of
it. The ring-tailed lemur, as mentioned earlier is a very unique
lemur, because of the similarities the lemur’s hands have with
human hands. Lemurs don’t have claws, they have nails, and
their grasping ability is just like that of a human, with opposable
thumbs.
Since tool use is considered to be a key
feature of primate intelligence, the apparent
lack of this behavior in wild lemurs, as well
as the lack of non-food object play, has
helped reinforce the perception that lemurs
are less intelligent than their simian cousins.
Moskito Sanctuary Brief – Lara Mostert
Above: Ring-tail lemur scent-marking.
Above: Note the soft toe pads of this Ring-tail lemur’s foot. These soft, spongy toe and foot pads soften the impact when
lemurs jump from tree to tree or run across thorny branches.
However, another study at the Myakka City Lemur Reserve examined the representation of tool
functionality in both the Ring-tailed Lemur and the Common Brown Lemur and discovered that, like
monkeys, they utilized tools with functional properties (e.g., tool orientation or ease of use) instead of tools
with nonfunctional features (e.g., color or texture). Although the Ring-tailed Lemur may not use tools in the
wild, it can not only be trained to use a tool, but will preferentially select tools based on their functional
Moskito Sanctuary Brief – Lara Mostert
qualities. Therefore, the conceptual competence to utilize a tool may have been present in the common
primate ancestor, even though the use of tools may not have appeared until much later.
Restraining / Capture
There are numerous ways in which to catch and restrain lemurs but by far the easiest and least stressful on
the lemur is capturing by using a net (can be bought from fishing stores or inquire at a local RSPCA). It is
relatively easy to then restrain the lemur by supplying firm pressure to the shoulder/neck area as well as
holding down the hind legs. The veterinarian can then administer the tranquilizer or sedative.
For the best results when netting, use a net that has a diameter that is at least twice the arm span of the
Primate.
The net that we typically use is similar to the one depicted
above and its dimensions are 70cm long and 60cm wide.
With the aid of a Veterinarian technician one can also dart
ringtail lemurs if the situation would call for
immediate/urgent treatment or capture. A practice that I
have seen on occasion but seldom used by us is to grab the
lemur‟s tail and restraining its head with a glove covered
hand by holding it around the neck and moving it into its
transport box as soon as possible.
As our lemurs are free roaming we have a few “feeding
cages” (length 10 meters width 4 meters and height 2
meters) where “special treats/feed” are fed on a daily basis,
the cage has a trapdoor that is always open but on the day
of capture the primates will use the feeding cage as per
usual and the trap door can then be released containing the
primates that are needed to be caught. Once in the feeding
cage one can then enter and capture the targeted animal by
using a net.
Husbandry
Husbandry is in our case solely related to food preparation and feeding. We find it practical to feed the
primates in the early hours of the morning before they are awake ensuring that all feeding platforms are
laden with food to decrease competitiveness amongst the rivaling groups. As the intention is to have the
least amount of stress for the animals doing an early (before sunrise at about 5 am) anonymous feed is the
most suitable for our primates. The feeding platforms or “tables” are made of stainless steel with a
minimum size of 1 meter by 1 meter, they are placed about 1.5 to 1.8 meters above the ground to allow for
easy cleaning and feeing. A daily clean is undertaken around the feeding platforms and we have large
raised (about 20 cm high) boxes surrounding the feeding platforms that are filled with sand and regularly
toped up, these sand pits are raked clean every day. The process of feeding is simple in that the platforms
are thoroughly washed down and rinsed before the fresh food is placed for the primates to eat at lib. A “top
up” feed can be done later in the day relating directly to how the primates have eaten on the day.
All food bought needs to be stored in refrigerated units prior to usage; a hygienic feed kitchen will be used
to prepare all foods destined for the primates. Again qualified personnel will need to manage the food
storage, food preparation and food distribution areas and conform to strict hygiene protocols. These areas
must be animal free zones.
Moskito Sanctuary Brief – Lara Mostert
One can use a disinfectant on the feeding platforms but if so then it must not be a product that is harmful to
the animals nor to the surrounding vegetation, problems can occur due to leaching of the soil negatively
affecting the surrounding plants.
Diet
A general rule of thumb for ringtail lemurs is an average of 70% fruit (we feed apples, pears, grapes,
papayas, mangos, lychee or litchis, citrus, pineapples, bananas, watermelon and guavas) and 25%
vegetable matter (beetroot, butternut, sweet potato, potato, gem squash, pumpkin all are boiled and
carrots, celery, green/yellow/red peppers, swiss char are fed raw). The remaining 5% can be made up of
alternatively supplying proteins (hard boiled eggs, good quality cat food pellets and/or cooked chicken) or
grains (rice, pasta, beans and/or whole wheat breads). Depending on the natural vegetation a percentage
of foliage will also be consumed.
In the wild the Tamarind tree (Tamarindus indica) can make up as much as 50% of the Lemurs diet.
Conservation status
In addition to being listed as Near Threatened in 2008 by the IUCN, the Ring-tailed Lemur has been listed
since 1977 by CITES under Appendix I, which makes trade of wild-caught specimens illegal.