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A ring-tailed lemur drinking from a pond with its black-and-white striped tail raised.
Photo: Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Ring-Tailed Lemur

Lemur catta

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

🐒 Lemurs
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About the Ring-Tailed Lemur

Ring-tailed lemurs live in dry, open areas and forests of southwestern Madagascar. They live in troops of 3 to 25, and females are in charge: they get first pick of food. Lemurs spend about 40 percent of their time on the ground. They sunbathe with their bellies toward the sun in a pose some people call the "yoga position." They eat leaves, flowers and insects, plus fruit and herbs.[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name
Lemur catta[1]
Size
Tail up to 2 feet (61 cm) long, with 13 black and white bands.[1]
Weight
Adult males average about 6 pounds (3 kg).[1]
Lifespan
About 16 years.[1]
Diet
Leaves, flowers and insects, plus fruit, herbs and small vertebrates.[1]
Habitat
Dry, open areas and forests.[1]
Where it lives
Southwestern Madagascar.[1]
Group life
Troops of 3 to 25. Females are dominant.[1]
Babies
Pregnancy lasts about 4.5 months. Babies cling to the mother's belly, then ride on her back.[1]
Conservation status
Endangered (IUCN Red List, assessed 2018).[3]

Fun facts

  • A ring-tailed lemur's tail has 13 alternating black and white bands.[1]
  • Male ring-tailed lemurs have "stink fights," waving tails rubbed with scent at each other.[2]
  • Lemurs sunbathe in a "yoga position" with their bellies toward the sun.[1]
  • In a ring-tailed lemur troop, the females are in charge.[1]

Vocabulary

troop
A group of lemurs, monkeys or other primates that live together.
dominant
In charge, or having first choice of food and mates.
scent gland
A spot on the body that gives off a smell animals use to communicate.
Madagascar
A large island off the southeast coast of Africa.
endangered
A conservation label meaning a species faces a very high risk of dying out in the wild.

See it in person

Sources

  1. [1] Smithsonian's National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute. “Ring-tailed lemur.” https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/ring-tailed-lemur (accessed 2026-10-02)
  2. [2] San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. “Lemur.” https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/lemur (accessed 2026-10-02)
  3. [3] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Lemur catta (Ring-tailed Lemur).” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/11496/115565760 (accessed 2026-10-02)

Facts last checked 2026-10-02.

More Lemurs

A black-and-white ruffed lemur with golden eyes resting on a branch.Black-and-White Ruffed LemurVarecia variegataThe largest lemur, a critically endangered fruit-eater of eastern Madagascar's rainforests that raises its babies in nests.A crowned lemur peering out from between tree trunks.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.