The Red Ruffed Lemur (Varecia rubra) is a small African primate featured in the Standard Edition of Planet Zoo.
Zoopedia Description[]
General[]
Population in the Wild: 29,000-52,000
The red-ruffed lemur (or Varecia rubra) is a critically endangered species of primate native to the Northern Masoala rainforests of Madagascar. With yellow eyes and a black pointed face surrounded by the distinctive red ruff, the lemur's body is covered in thick red fur, and it has a black tail, hands and feet. It also has a white patch on the top of its head.
The species is threatened by habitat loss and hunting, they are particularly vulnerable to this because they require well established forests with tall trees to survive and forage for fruit, nectar and flowers. Therefore, it cannot live in young or newly planted forests. They are also frequently hunted for bushmeat. To combat these problems, the Masoala rainforest is a protected national park, but illegal logging and hunting still takes place.
Social[]
Lemurs are very social animals that live in close-knit groups of up to 30 individuals, grooming each other and helping raise one another's young. Together, they move through their environment during the day, foraging for flowers and fruit, and will sleep in a tree together at night. Females are dominant in lemur society.
Reproduction[]
A male lemur will approach a female in a submissive manner, chattering and squealing at her, and the two will mate if she is receptive. The mother will be pregnant for 3 months and give birth to between 1 and 4 babies in a tree nest. They will stay there until they are 2 to 3 months old, at which point the babies will be old enough to come out of the nest and begin interacting with the lemur troop. The females are fully grown at 2 years old and will remain with their mother, whereas the males reach adulthood at between 3 and 4 years old, leaving their family troop to find an unrelated group.
Animal Care[]
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PREFERRED OBJECTS | |
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Monkey Chow · Leaves and Shoots · Fruit | |
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FEEDING STATIONS | |
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FOOD ENRICHMENT |
HABITAT ENRICHMENT |
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COMPATIBLE ANIMALS |
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Trivia[]
Zoopedia Fun Facts[]
- The word 'lemur' is derived from the Latin word 'Lemures', meaning 'spirits' or 'ghosts'.
- Red ruffed lemurs are very vocal and will make alarm calls to alert their group to predators.
- Red ruffed lemurs have evolved a long, pointed snout and a long tongue for eating nectar from flowers, meaning they play an important role in pollination.
- Ruffed lemurs are the only primates that give birth to litters of young, and can birth up to 4 infants in one pregnancy. They build nests in the trees where they hide their babies until they are old enough to walk and climb.
- Red ruffed lemurs groom their thick coat using a long claw on the second toe of their back leg.
Gallery[]
