Black & White Ruffed Lemur
Honoring the Elders
by David Haring, Registrar, DLC Photographer Amor, a black and white ruffed lemur is another one of those animals who has lived an amazingly interesting life at the Center. He was a member of the first group of black and white ruffed lemurs released to free range (introduced with his family group to Natural Habitat...
Overview
Populations of wild ruffed lemurs are critically endangered in Madagascar, and yet the animals thrive in captivity, making this species an ideal candidate for re-introduction to the wild, assuming protected habitat is available. In fact, the first re-introduction of lemurs into protected habitat in Madagascar occurred in October, 1997 when five captive born ruffed lemurs were released into the Betampona Nature Reserve in eastern Madagascar. These lemurs had been born, and had lived their entire lives, in the Natural Habitat Enclosures of the DLC. Since then, two more groups of captive born lemurs have been reintroduced into the Reserve, one...
Feeding
For more information on feeding behavior, or any aspect of behavior, of the black and white ruffed lemur, please consult the information listed under red ruffed lemurs (LINK TO RED LEMUR WHEN CREATED). There is little difference in the ecology or behavior between the two subspecies of Varecia. The distribution of black and white ruffed...
Fact Sheet
Order: Primates; Suborder: Prosimii Family: Lemuridae; Genus: Varecia Species: variegate; Subspecies : variegata Related Species The red ruffed lemur (Varecia variegata rubra) is very similar in life history and behavior but is reddish-brown in color and occupies a slightly different habitat. Key Facts Adult Size : 7.3 – 8.4 pounds Social life : Sociable, group...
Reproduction
Ruffed lemur reproduction is highly seasonal. The animals breed in Madagascar between May and July. Most infants are born, after a 102 day gestation, in September and October. In North Carolina, breeding usually occurs in December or January with births in April or May. Ruffed lemur females give birth to litters of up to six...
Social Behavior
There have been a limited number of studies of ruffed lemurs in the wild. Group size seems to vary greatly – - there have been reports of groups consisting of a monogamous pair and their offspring as well as reports of much larger groups of 8-16 individuals, containing adult animals of each sex. Whatever the...
Habitat/Conservation
The distribution of the black and white ruffed lemur is poorly known, especially in its northern limits. This lemur is distributed in low concentrations throughout the remnants of Madagascar’s eastern rainforest, from the Antainambalana River southward to the Mananara River. There is an introduced population on the island of Nosy Mangabe in the Bay of...
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