Animals
Class: Mammal
Biome:
Conservation Status: Near Threatened
About this animal
Lemurs are thought to be the oldest living representative of the primate order. Ancestral lemurs are thought to have made their way from mainland Africa to Madagascar almost 65 million years ago! The Ring tailed lemur is about 3 feet (1m) long, more than half of which is its tail. It is territorial, usually forming troops of 12 to 20 in which females are dominant. Lemurs have scent glands located on their forearms and inside their upper arms for marking their territory. The female lemur usually has one or two young. When they are born they will cling to the underside of their mother for 2 weeks, before turning to ride ‘jockey-style’ on her back.
Did you know?
Among the lemurs which have recently become extinct at the hands of man were species as large as a chimpanzee!
