Animal
Ring-tailed lemur
A social Madagascan lemur that communicates through scents and a raised tail.
Content language
A ring-tailed lemur’s black-and-white tail is easy to see when a group travels. The animals hold it up like a flag, helping them stay in contact. The tail can measure about 62 centimetres and accounts for a substantial part of the animal’s total length. A pale face and dark eye patches also stand out against its greyish body.
Ring-tailed lemurs come from southwestern Madagascar, where they live in dry forests and more open areas. They are active by day and spend considerable time on the ground, moving on all fours. Their diet includes leaves, flowers, fruit and insects. Although well suited to wooded surroundings, these lemurs do not spend their entire lives in the canopy.
Group members maintain bonds through grooming and shared rest. Females have priority access to food. Scents left by glands are an important way of sharing information. Lemurs also use calls and facial expressions, while their tails help companions follow each other’s movements. A troop is therefore more than an accidental gathering: its members recognise signals, share space and keep in touch.
For children
Ring-tailed lemurs lift their striped tails while walking. They look like little flags. The tail helps the group stay together. It can be about 62 centimetres long, making it a very noticeable part of the animal.
These lemurs come from Madagascar, an island beside Africa. They are active in the daytime and spend plenty of time walking on all fours. They eat leaves, flowers, fruit and insects. Their whole lives are not spent high in the trees.
Lemurs maintain friendships by resting together and grooming each other’s fur. Females have first access to food. They also leave important messages as scents. Such a sign may be invisible to people, but for a lemur, smell is part of communicating with others.
Question 1 of 2
How does a raised tail help ring-tailed lemurs on the move?
- Location
- Lemur island, area 17.