Photo courtesy of San Francisco Zoo (http://www.sfzoo.org/cgi-bin/animals.py?ID=35).

Ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta) are a primate species native to Madagascar. They are highly recognizable due to their black and white masked face and ringed tail. Ring-tailed lemurs walk quadrupedally and are arboreal, though they spend much time on the ground foraging and are the most terrestrial lemur species. There is concern about the survival of ring-tailed lemurs due to the rapidly growing human population in Madagascar and habitat destruction. Predators are few in Madagascar and include avian predators (raptors), dogs, humans, and other primates. Ring-tailed lemurs are highly adaptable and can live in many diverse habitats, subsisting on very little water and will forage on virtually any and every plant species in the Malagasy forest (their year round staple food is the kily pod). They are strictly herbivores and will range far to find flowering trees (their food is seasonal and scattered in clumps).

The seasonal nature of lemur food resources play a large determining role in ring-tailed lemur social organization. Ring-tailed lemurs are found in large groups called troops; living in a large group is advantageous due to the benefits of communication regarding food presence. Troops have many functions including nurseries, feeding cooperatives and defense guilds.

Troops are matriarchial in nature, females being notably dominant over males and generally more aggressive. Females remain in natal troops for life, while males leave the troop after adolescence and wander from troop to troop afterwards. There is no consistant troop leader, as dominance hierarchies, though present, are non-linear. Females are less "status conscious" (though a dominance hierarchy does exists) than males. Males retain a year-round hierarchy of threats, relating to indirect reproductive competition. Olfactory communication (including genital and palmar marking) is used extensively to mark presence of males especially during the breeding season.Troops reside in large, overlapping home ranges; this relates to seasonal, clumped food availability. Home ranges are defended by females, as it is in their interest to ensure resources for their daughters.

Mating seasons are short, lasting 2 weeks or less, and a single female is only receptive to males for one day. Due to this there is extreme competition among males for mates, and they will fight visciously for a female during the mating season. It is believed that the heightened competition among males during this times and the subsequent need to conserve energy during the non-breeding season has led to female dominance. Ring-tailed lemurs demonstrate hierarchical promiscuity; access to females is based on competition among males and a dominance hierarchy does exist, though the highest ranking male is not always the winner of the fight for a female (and thus a high year-round dominance rank does not necessarily ensure a greater number of offspring). Males have been shown to mate-guard following ejaculation, evidence for sperm competition. All infants are born within a few days (after a gestation period of 4.5 months) and mature very rapidly, eliminating the need for male parenting. Infants are raised in a community of females; all females in a troop seem to be fascinated with the infants and will groom infants that are not their own. Infants will cling to their mothers' bellies for the first few days, after which they ride around on their mothers' backs.

Lemurs are currently under protection in a few protected areas in Madagascar; however their status is of concern by conservationists. The Malagasy government is beginning to recognize the need to preserve the natural forests, as farming and overgrazing by cattle has taken its toll on the ecology and lanscape of Madagascar. Malagasy citizens are increasingly aware of the possible benefits derived from conservation of native habitats and species that include tourism revenue and the continued availability of natural resources.