What the heck is a ring-tailed lemur anyway?
Only the coolest primate out there! Ring-tailed lemurs can only be found in the wild in Madagascar, a small island country off the coast of Southeast Africa. Madagascar has a mountain range which runs the length of the island from north to south. This range provides the island with varying climates, topography, and vegetation, which has created diverse habitat types where lemurs can be found. These habitat structures include rainforests, gallery, subalpine, deciduous, and spiny-bush forests. Ring-tailed lemurs are diurnal primates with long white and black banded tails. They spend most of their time on the ground, but do use all portions of the forest canopy. Ring-tailed lemurs are quite social and live in groups called troops, travelling place to place quadrupedally. One of the coolest things about ring-tailed lemurs is their fondness for sunbathing. Unfortunately, they are in need of help. Their populations have been declining dramatically due to habitat quality issues and loss.
Only the coolest primate out there! Ring-tailed lemurs can only be found in the wild in Madagascar, a small island country off the coast of Southeast Africa. Madagascar has a mountain range which runs the length of the island from north to south. This range provides the island with varying climates, topography, and vegetation, which has created diverse habitat types where lemurs can be found. These habitat structures include rainforests, gallery, subalpine, deciduous, and spiny-bush forests. Ring-tailed lemurs are diurnal primates with long white and black banded tails. They spend most of their time on the ground, but do use all portions of the forest canopy. Ring-tailed lemurs are quite social and live in groups called troops, travelling place to place quadrupedally. One of the coolest things about ring-tailed lemurs is their fondness for sunbathing. Unfortunately, they are in need of help. Their populations have been declining dramatically due to habitat quality issues and loss.
The Problem
Ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta), a near threatened species indigenous only to Madagascar, are seeing population declines estimated at 20-25% in the last couple of decades. One of the main reasons for their decline at Berenty Reserve, Madagascar, is the lack of quality habitat. A reduction in closed-canopy forest, likely due to aging of dominant tamarind trees (Tamarindus indica), lack of recruitment of seedlings, and invasion of open areas of the forest floor by devil’s backbone (Cissus quadrangularis) has taken its toll on this sensitive habitat. Lemur biomass has been observed to correlate with forest richness, so loss of tamarinds, a keystone food source of ring-tailed lemurs can be seen to have a vicious cycle as lemurs are important in the seed dispersal process of the tree. Fewer tamarind trees means a drop in survival rate and population, thereby reducing recruitment of the tree and the cycle continues. Additionally, troops in search of this important food source will see increased confrontations with other troops in the area, which can result in life threatening injuries and fatality. Finally, space for tamarinds and other important native vegetation recruitment is being lost due to the introduction of a non-native and aggressive plant, devil’s backbone. This loss of habitat decreases the available ranging and feeding areas for not only ring-tailed lemurs, but other animals sharing this habitat, such as Verreaux's Sifaka (Propithecus verreauxi), an additional indigenous primate species of the area listed on the IUCN red-list as vulnerable.
For more information about the project and to find the PayPal Donation button please visit the ABOUT page.
Ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta), a near threatened species indigenous only to Madagascar, are seeing population declines estimated at 20-25% in the last couple of decades. One of the main reasons for their decline at Berenty Reserve, Madagascar, is the lack of quality habitat. A reduction in closed-canopy forest, likely due to aging of dominant tamarind trees (Tamarindus indica), lack of recruitment of seedlings, and invasion of open areas of the forest floor by devil’s backbone (Cissus quadrangularis) has taken its toll on this sensitive habitat. Lemur biomass has been observed to correlate with forest richness, so loss of tamarinds, a keystone food source of ring-tailed lemurs can be seen to have a vicious cycle as lemurs are important in the seed dispersal process of the tree. Fewer tamarind trees means a drop in survival rate and population, thereby reducing recruitment of the tree and the cycle continues. Additionally, troops in search of this important food source will see increased confrontations with other troops in the area, which can result in life threatening injuries and fatality. Finally, space for tamarinds and other important native vegetation recruitment is being lost due to the introduction of a non-native and aggressive plant, devil’s backbone. This loss of habitat decreases the available ranging and feeding areas for not only ring-tailed lemurs, but other animals sharing this habitat, such as Verreaux's Sifaka (Propithecus verreauxi), an additional indigenous primate species of the area listed on the IUCN red-list as vulnerable.
For more information about the project and to find the PayPal Donation button please visit the ABOUT page.