Red Ruffed Lemur

Varecia rubra

A critically endangered orange-red lemur with a black face and a thick neck ruff, found only on Madagascar's Masoala Peninsula.

🐒 Lemurs

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About the Red Ruffed Lemur

Red ruffed lemurs live only in the tropical forests of the Masoala Peninsula in Madagascar. They weigh 7 to 10 pounds and are 1.5 to 2 feet long, with thick orange-red coats and black bellies, hands, feet and tails. They eat mostly fruit, plus leaves, flowers, nectar and seeds. They use at least 12 different sounds to warn each other about snakes, eagles, fossas and people.^[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name: Varecia rubra^[2]
Size: 1.5 to 2 feet long.^[1]
Weight: 7 to 10 pounds.^[1]
Lifespan: 15 to 20 years in the wild.^[1]
Diet: Mostly fruit, plus leaves, flowers, nectar and seeds.^[1]
Habitat: Tropical forest.^[1]
Where it lives: The Masoala Peninsula of Madagascar.^[1]
Group life: Groups of two to ten, usually a pair and their young.^[1]
Conservation status: Critically Endangered (IUCN Red List, assessed 2018).^[2]

Fun facts

Red ruffed lemurs use at least 12 different warning sounds.^[1]
A river separates red ruffed lemurs from black-and-white ruffed lemurs.^[1]
Keepers tell them apart by small differences in coat color and nose markings.^[1]

Vocabulary

ruff: A thick collar of fur around the neck.
lemur: A primate found in the wild only on Madagascar.
tooth comb: A row of thin lower front teeth that lemurs use to groom.
crepuscular: Most active at dawn and dusk.
critically endangered: A conservation label meaning a species faces an extremely high risk of dying out in the wild.

See it in person

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] San Francisco Zoo & Gardens. “Red Ruffed Lemur.” https://www.sfzoo.org/red-ruffed-lemur/ (accessed 2026-10-02)
[2] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Varecia rubra (Red Ruffed Lemur).” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22920/115574598 (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.Black-and-White Ruffed LemurVarecia variegataThe largest lemur, a critically endangered fruit-eater of eastern Madagascar's rainforests that raises its babies in nests.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-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.