Species Fact Profile: Red Ruffed Lemur (Varecia rubra)

Red Ruffed Lemur

Varecia rubra (E. Geoffroy, 1812)

Range: Masoala Peninsula (Eastern Madagascar)
Habitat: Deciduous Tropical Forest
Diet: Fruit, Nectar, Pollen, Leaves, Seeds, Flowers
Social Grouping: Pairs, Small Matriarchal Groups (sometimes up to 32), Territorial
Reproduction: Polygamous.  Breed May through July, 1-6 (usually 2-3) young born after 102 day gestation.  Infants are less-developed at birth than many other lemurs, are kept in a nest instead of being carried around.  Father guards nest while mother forages.  Capable of leaving nest at 3-4 weeks old.  Sexually mature at 2 years old
Lifespan: 20-25 Years
Conservation Status: IUCN Critically Endangered, CITES Appendix I

• Body length up to 53 centimeters. not including up to 60 centimeters of tail.  Weight 3.3-3.6 kilograms.  Females are slightly larger than males
• Fur is rust red.  Faces, stomachs, tails, feet, and insides of the leg are black.  There is a white patch on the nape of the neck, sometimes additional white markings on the face
• Very vocal, communicating with guttural yaps or loud, booming calls.  Use alarm calls to inform each other of presence of predators, keep in touch while foraging.  Also use calls to warn off other lemurs trespassing on their territory.  Also communicate with scent glands on rear
• Along with the closely related black-and-white ruffed lemur, reproduction is different from other diurnal primates in having short gestation period, and large, less precocial litters which are kept in a nest.  High infant mortality, up to two-thirds of offspring die within first year
• Primary natural predator is the fossa.  Also hunted for food by humans
• Considered to be important pollinators for some plants - long, fox-like face collects pollen as the lemur puts its snout in flowers to drink nectar
• Primary threats are habitat loss and hunting (large size makes them sought after by hunters).  Some trapping of live animals for illegal pet trade. Remaining wild population is concentrated in an area that is susceptible to hurricanes