Lemurs in Society

Ring Tailed Lemurs live in southwestern Madagascar and they live there because of the vast variety of forest Madagascar has to offer. They live anywhere from the plateaus to the thickets on the southern part of the island. This lemur has a huge tail measuring up to 25 inches and has a body length of 18 inches. They use their tails to help them climb more efficiently. Lemurs are pretty light animals only weighing an average of 5 pounds. One the skills lemurs possess is great eye sight, they have a reflective layer behind their retina that increases their night vision (This is also found in cats and dogs). These animals also have claws similar to humans. They have thumbs and an opposable big toe that assists them in climbing and grooming themselves. Ring Tailed Lemurs only spend about 33% of their time on the ground, favoring living in the trees. They live troops which are groups which range in size from 6 to 25 lemurs. These groups control territories and they defend them from other troops. This often leads to fights between the troops and leads to troops constantly moving around, usually only staying in place for a couple of days. The troop will often use a scent to mark its territory and warn other troops to stay away from its area. Ring Tailed Lemurs are omnivores, eating both plants and animals. They mainly eat fruits and leaves, only eating bugs and small birds or chameleons when desperate. Their main source of food is fruit from Tamarind trees. Ring Tailed Lemurs predators are hawks and snakes. Lemurs aren’t safe on the ground or in the trees because these hawks and snakes are threats from almost anywhere. The largest threats the lemurs face are fossa. These animals are at the top of the food chain in Madagascar and are equipped with sharp claws and teeth. Lemurs are able to stay safe by traveling in troops so they are always looking out for predators. The Ring Tailed Lemur is endangered because of habitat destruction and because they are