“A ring-tailed lemur's tail is longer than its whole body and has 13 black and 13 white rings.”
Ring-tailed lemurs live in female-led troops across the dry forests and scrub of southern Madagascar. Their striped tails act as visual signals, scent marks organize social encounters, and morning sunbathing helps warm the body before daily foraging.
By An Nguyen · Published · Updated
Lemur catta Primates Lemuridae
Measured against the 176 species profiled on this site. Each figure is converted to one unit system from the published range on the page, so the ranks are computed, not quoted.
| Measure | This species | Rank here | Exceeds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Body mass | 3 kg | #121 of 176#83 of 90 Mammalia | 31% |
| Body length | 45.7 cm | #135 of 176#83 of 90 Mammalia | 23% |
| Lifespan in the wild | 19 yr | #72 of 169#37 of 85 Mammalia | 58% |
Closest in body mass
Ranks use the upper end of each published adult range, so they compare typical large adults rather than records, and metrics with no published number are left out rather than estimated. The full table is downloadable from the species dataset, and any two species can be put side by side in the comparison tool.
Browse photographs of ring-tailed lemur across habitat, behavior, anatomy, and life stages.
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Core article
A closer look at habitat, diet, behavior, reproduction, and conservation.
The ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta) is one of the most recognizable primates on Earth, known at a glance by its black-and-white banded tail. Endemic to Madagascar, this highly social prosimian lives in the scrublands and dry forests of the island's south and southwest, and unlike most of its tree-bound relatives it is semi-terrestrial, spending much of the day foraging on the forest floor.
A fairly small primate, the ring-tailed lemur has a 15-to-18-inch head and body and weighs just 4.5 to 6.6 pounds, but its tail adds another 24 inches, always marked with 13 alternating black and white rings and a black tip. The coat is brownish-gray above and pale below, the face set off by dark eye patches and a black snout, and a reflective tapetum lucidum behind the retina sharpens low-light vision. The tail isn't prehensile; it works as a counterbalance in fast movement and as a high, visible flag that keeps the troop together in dense brush — and, in males, as a scent applicator, loaded from specialized glands on the forearms and shoulders. Lemurs are a striking case of adaptive radiation: their ancestors rafted to Madagascar after it split from Africa, and, free of continental predators and monkeys, they diversified into many niches. It belongs to the family Lemuridae and is the only living species in its genus.
Lemur catta is restricted to southern and southwestern Madagascar, ranging across tropical dry forest, riverside gallery forest, spiny bush, and arid scrub, and it tolerates temperature extremes that shut out most other primates. Its habitat is strongly seasonal, with sharp wet and dry periods that dictate what food is available, and it leans heavily on big canopy trees like the tamarind for both food and safe overnight sleeping sites away from nocturnal predators.
Ring-tailed lemurs are opportunistic omnivores with great dietary flexibility — a key to surviving harsh dry seasons. Fruit and leaves make up the bulk of the diet, with the tamarind tree alone often supplying around half of it annually, supplemented by flowers, bark, sap, and herbs. When food gets scarce they add invertebrates like insects and spiders and even small vertebrates such as chameleons, and they eat soil (geophagy) to neutralize plant toxins and gain minerals. Their specialized lower incisors form a "toothcomb" used both for grooming and for scraping sap and gum from bark.
Ring-tailed lemurs live in multi-male, multi-female troops, usually of 15 to 30 animals. Females generally outrank males and receive priority at food and sleeping sites. During the breeding season, males may rub gland secretions onto their tails and waft the scent toward rivals in ritualized "stink fights." On cold mornings, troop members often sit with their arms spread and expose the belly to the sun.
Reproduction is tightly seasonal, timed so young are weaned when food is most abundant: mating peaks in mid-April to mid-May, and after about 135 days' gestation females give birth in August or September, usually to a single infant (twins when food is plentiful). Newborns cling to the mother's belly, then ride jockey-style on her back after about two weeks, and troops practice extensive allomothering — other adult females groom, carry, and even nurse infants, lifting survival. Young sample solid food around two months and wean by five; females stay in their natal troop for life while males emigrate at maturity, moving between troops to spread genes. Wild lemurs live 16 to 19 years, up to 27 in captivity.
The IUCN lists the ring-tailed lemur as Endangered, with a sharply decreasing trend — the wild population is estimated to have fallen by more than 50% over three decades. The paramount threat is habitat destruction: Madagascar's forests are being cleared fast by slash-and-burn farming (tavy), unregulated logging for charcoal, and mining, which fragments populations and isolates their gene pools. Hunting for bushmeat and capture for the pet trade add further pressure, while natural predators like the fossa and large raptors are minor beside the human-driven collapse. Conservation centers on community-based habitat protection, ecological corridors, and ecotourism that gives local people an economic alternative to deforestation.
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Order
Primates
Family
Lemuridae
Genus
Lemur
Species
L. catta
A ring-tailed lemur's tail is longer than its whole body and has 13 black and 13 white rings.
On cool mornings, lemurs sit up and stretch their arms out to soak up the warm sunshine.
Male lemurs have 'stink fights,' rubbing smelly scent on their tails and waving them at rivals.
Ring-tailed lemurs live only on Madagascar and are found nowhere else in the wild.
Lemur troops are led by a top female, who gets first choice of food and the best resting spots.
They are one of the most ground-loving lemurs, spending lots of time walking on the forest floor.
Select a question to reveal the answer.
Ring-tailed lemurs live only on the island of Madagascar, mostly in the dry forests and spiny scrub of the south and southwest. They are found nowhere else in the wild.
Ring-tailed lemurs are omnivores. They mostly eat fruit and leaves, especially from tamarind trees, plus flowers, sap, and sometimes insects.
On cool mornings, ring-tailed lemurs sit up and spread their arms to warm their bellies in the sun. It helps them heat up before a busy day of feeding and traveling.
The black-and-white rings make the tail easy to see. Lemurs hold their tails high like flags to help the troop stay together as they move through the forest.
Yes. Ring-tailed lemurs are listed as Endangered because they are losing their forest homes and are sometimes hunted or taken for the pet trade.
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