Ruffed lemur reproduction is highly seasonal. The animals breed in Madagascar between May and July with most infants born in September and October after a 102 day gestation. In North Carolina, breeding usually occurs in December/January with births in April or May. Unlike most lemurs, ruffed lemur females give birth to litters of up to six infants (two or three is more typical) in well concealed, well constructed nests 10 to 20 meters up a tree. Ruffed lemurs are the only diurnal primates in the world to keep their infants in a nest. Females can nurse up to six infants simultaneously. Infant ruffs are not as well developed at birth as is typical for other lemurs, which is not surprising given the brief gestation period. At birth, infants are not capable of grasping the mother, so if she needs to transport them, she simply picks up one infant at a time in her mouth. Mothers generally move their infants away from the nest after a week or two, at which point they simply leave them parked in a tree while foraging nearby. In the days following birth, if the mother needs to leave the nest, the infant’s father will stand guard close by. Infants develop rapidly, and by three or four weeks they are capable of at least attempting to follow their mother on their own. Not surprisingly, infant mortality appears to be very high for this species, with 65% of infants failing to make three months of age, due to accidental falls and related injuries.