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Today on Animal Fact Files we’re discussing ruffed lemurs. There are two living ruffed lemur species: the red ruffed lemur and the black and white ruffed lemur which is also known as the variegated lemur. Their common names are in reference to their fur colors. Red ruffed lemurs are mostly red to orange with a black face, hands and feet, and underside. They also have a white spot along the back of their neck. Black and white ruffed lemurs are black in the same areas with some extra strips over their shoulders and knees. Both species have a fully black tail. What's more, hybrids between red ruffed and variegated lemurs are possible, even in the wild– although existing wild hybrid specimens only date back to the 20th century or earlier. These hybrids are known as tricolored ruffed lemurs in captivity and have a rosy color that fades to white closer to their rump.

Ruffed lemurs are the largest of the true lemurs, which is the lemur family that includes ring-tailed lemurs. These primates have a body length of about 20 inches (51 cm) and their tail is slightly longer. On average, ruffed lemurs weigh 7.5 pounds (3.4 kg). Male ruffed lemurs are slightly larger than females, but these mammals otherwise show no sexual dimorphism– externally, the boys and girls look exactly the same!

Both red ruffed lemurs and black and white ruffed lemurs are listed as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List meaning they have an incredibly high risk of going extinct in the wild. One reason they're so at risk is where they live. Ruffed lemurs are only found on the island of Madagascar– they don't wildly live anywhere else in the world. Red ruffed lemurs have a larger population, however they're confined to a single spot in the Northeast part of the island. Black and white ruffed lemurs have a wider range along the eastern side of the island, but this is fragmented, often occurring through unprotected land, and the variegated lemurs have fewer numbers. Aside from their limited range, ruffed lemurs face threats in the form of logging, forest fires, natural disasters such as hurricanes, as well as hunting. Some humans target ruffed lemurs as a source of food.

The forests in which these prosimians live are rainforests. In fact, it rains more than 250 days per year throughout the ruffed lemur’s preferred habitat on average. They need old, primary forests which have had little to no disruption from human activity in order to thrive. Ruffed lemurs spend most of their time in the tree canopy living from 30 to more than 80 feet (10-25 m) off the ground! These vertebrates are able to walk upright but rarely do so; instead, they most often leap and bound to get around. Much like cats, ruffed lemurs spend more than 50% of their time resting. They're often described as diurnal, although it may be more appropriate to call them “crepuscular” which indicates that they're most active during the morning and evening hours of the day.

Ruffed lemurs are frugivores; their diet consists of almost entirely fruit when it's available. When this is not the case, such as the dry, cold parts of the year, ruffed lemurs eat flowers, new growth leaves, and occasionally climb to the forest floor for mushrooms and dirt. Yes, they eat dirt. It has nutrients, and it may protect their gut from parasites. These social animals also spend time grooming both themselves and each other. Much like ring-tailed lemurs, ruffed lemurs are equipped with a specialized set of incisors that are shaped like a comb. This built-in hair brush keeps their fur clean and free of parasites. They even have a special “second tongue” called the sublinga to help keep the tooth comb clean!

Ruffed lemurs form loose social groups called communities that spread out and defend a specific area from members of other communities. These can reach upwards of 40 members total, however they're further split into smaller core groups throughout the community. These core groups typically consist of a male and a handful of females and their offspring. Male ruffed lemurs rarely interact with each other, but the females move around between core groups within their home community. They protect and sometimes even nurse each other's babies, which is known as communal parenting. Their mating is communal, as well, with individual ruffed lemurs often taking more than one partner during the breeding season.

If a female ruffed lemur is uninterested in a male, she'll chase him off, but if she's available she'll slap his face! Both partners may also vocalize their interest. Here are some examples of ruffed lemur calls: (squeaks and chirps). After mating, ruffed lemurs have an approximately 102 day gestational period. Ruffed lemurs are kind of weirdos in comparison to the other true lemurs because they build nests for their young and actually leave the infants multiple times throughout the day. Mother ruffed lemurs in a community often stash their babies together while some of them go out to forage and others stay behind to watch over the offspring. The babies don't stay in the nest for long though as they'll start following their mother on expeditions by six weeks of age. The young are weaned at 3 to 4 months old at which point they're already nearly adult-sized! It takes about a year for female ruffed lemurs to start having babies of their own and about two years for males. It's unknown how long ruffed lemurs live in the wild, but they often reach about two decades old in captivity. The oldest captive ruffed lemur was almost double this age!

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