Black-and-White Ruffed Lemur

Varecia variegata

The largest lemur, a critically endangered fruit-eater of eastern Madagascar's rainforests that raises its babies in nests.

🐒 Lemurs

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About the Black-and-White Ruffed Lemur

Black-and-white ruffed lemurs live high in the rainforest of eastern Madagascar, often in the tallest trees. They weigh 8 to 11 pounds and have tails about 2 feet long that help them balance. They eat mostly fruit, plus leaves, flowers, nectar and seeds. Grasping fingers and toes help them climb, and they can even hang upside down by their feet.^[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name: Varecia variegata^[1][2]
Size: Tail about 2 feet long.^[1]
Weight: 8 to 11 pounds.^[1]
Lifespan: 15 to 20 years in the wild.^[1]
Diet: Mostly fruit, plus leaves, flowers, nectar and seeds.^[1]
Habitat: The middle and upper canopy of the rainforest.^[1]
Where it lives: Eastern Madagascar.^[1]
Group life: From a single pair and their young up to groups of 8 to 16.^[1]
Babies: Pregnancy lasts up to three months. Twins and triplets are most common, raised in a nest.^[1]
Conservation status: Critically Endangered (IUCN Red List, assessed 2019).^[2]

Fun facts

Ruffed lemurs are the largest living lemurs.^[1]
A ruffed lemur mother carries her babies in her mouth.^[1]
Some ruffed lemurs see colors like we do, and some don't.^[1]
Lemurs' ancestors may have reached Madagascar about 40 million years ago by floating on trees.^[1]

Vocabulary

lemur: A primate found in the wild only on Madagascar.
canopy: The top layer of a forest, made of treetops.
seed dispersal: How seeds get carried to new places, like when an animal eats fruit and drops the seeds.
prehensile: Able to grab or wrap around things. A ruffed lemur's tail is not prehensile.
critically endangered: A conservation label meaning a species faces an extremely high risk of dying out in the wild.

See it in person

Zoo AtlantaAtlanta, Georgia · All AnimalsSee this animal on the zoo's website ↗
San Francisco Zoo & GardensSan Francisco, California · MammalsSee this animal on the zoo's website ↗
Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and AquariumOmaha, Nebraska · Hubbard Expedition MadagascarSee this area on the zoo's website ↗

These zoos had this animal when we gathered our information, but animals sometimes move. Check the zoo's website or contact the zoo before you visit.

Sources

[1] Zoo Atlanta. “Black-and-white-ruffed Lemur.” https://zooatlanta.org/animal/black-and-white-ruffed-lemur/ (accessed 2026-10-02)
[2] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Varecia variegata (Black-and-white Ruffed Lemur).” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22918/115574178 (accessed 2026-10-02)

Facts last checked 2026-10-02.

More Lemurs

Aye-AyeDaubentonia madagascariensisA strange-looking nocturnal lemur that taps on trees with a long, thin middle finger to find grubs inside.Blue-Eyed Black LemurEulemur flavifronsOne of the world's most threatened primates, a blue-eyed Madagascar lemur whose males are black and females are orange.

Coquerel's SifakaPropithecus coquereliA white-and-brown lemur of northwestern Madagascar that leaps between trees and hops sideways on the ground.Crowned LemurEulemur coronatusA small, fruit-eating lemur of northern Madagascar whose males and females look so different they were once easy to tell apart at a glance.Gray Mouse LemurMicrocebus murinusOne of the smallest primates in the world, a tiny, big-eyed lemur that weighs about two ounces.Mongoose LemurEulemur mongozA small, gray, critically endangered lemur of northwestern Madagascar and the Comoro Islands that can switch between day and night activity.Red Ruffed LemurVarecia rubraA critically endangered orange-red lemur with a black face and a thick neck ruff, found only on Madagascar's Masoala Peninsula.Red-Fronted Brown LemurEulemur rufifronsA fruit-eating Madagascar lemur whose males and females are different colors, and one of the few lemurs not led by females.

Ring-Tailed LemurLemur cattaAn endangered primate of southwestern Madagascar with a black-and-white striped tail, female-led troops and a love of sunbathing.