Mammals
Ring-tailed lemur
Lemur catta
The ring-tailed lemur is the most recognisable of the lemurs, with its unmistakable black-and-white banded tail. It is also the most terrestrial: it spends much of its time on the ground, in lively social groups of southern Madagascar.
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In short
The ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta) is a species with IUCN conservation status EN (Endangered). Ecologically flexible, it lives in varied habitats of southern and south-western Madagascar: dry forests, spiny bush, montane forest and rocky outcrops. Animals in Black offers a fine-art portrait of it on a black background, available as a print on Hahnemühle paper: view the print.
Habitat & conservation
Where does the ring-tailed lemur live?
Ecologically flexible, it lives in varied habitats of southern and south-western Madagascar: dry forests, spiny bush, montane forest and rocky outcrops. It is active by day and night and loves to sunbathe in the early morning.
Is the ring-tailed lemur endangered?
The IUCN Red List rates it Endangered (EN), with a declining and severely fragmented population: many sites hold only a few hundred individuals. The main threats are habitat loss, drought, hunting for meat and capture for the illegal pet trade, in which it is the most common lemur species.
Facts about the ring-tailed lemur
- The tail usually has 13 black and 13 white bands.
- It is the most terrestrial lemur, spending about a third of its time on the ground.
- Males wage 'stink fights', wafting scent from their tails at rivals.
- It basks in the sun in a characteristic open-legged, meditation-like pose.
Data source: IUCN Red List · Lemur Conservation Network
RED List
Conservation status codes
- EX Extinct No individuals survive.
- EW Extinct in the wild Survives only in captivity.
- CR Critically endangered Extremely high risk of extinction.
- EN Endangered Very high risk of extinction.
- VU Vulnerable High risk of extinction.
- NT Near threatened Likely to become threatened soon.
- LC Least concern Low risk of extinction.
- DD Data deficient Not enough data to assess.
- NE Not evaluated Not yet assessed by the IUCN.