What do lemurs eat for kids

The illegal pet trade is also a major threat with people accepting money to steal them for sale as exotic pets. Where do ring tailed lemurs live? Ring tailed lemurs come from Madagascar, the island off the East Coast of Africa. They live in the rainforest and spend most of their time on the forest floor, although they do climb but tend to spend more time in the mid canopy than the very top of the trees like ruffed lemurs. What do ring tailed lemurs eat?

Ring tailed lemurs mostly eat fruit and leaves. They really like the leaves of the tamarind tree. The food they eat is different to other lemurs because of the amount of time they spend on the ground. They will eat bark, earth, small insects and spider webs. What is a group of ring tailed lemurs called?

What noise do ring tailed lemurs make? Ring tailed lemurs make all kinds of noises from wails to howls, from purrs to chirps. Nope—these ring-tailed lemurs are heating up! Common Name: Ring-Tailed Lemur. Scientific Name: Lemur catta. Type: Mammals. Diet: Herbivore.

Group Name: Troop. Size: Head and body: Weight: 5 to 7. Other places, like open savannas, have less food, water or shelter available, so the territory has to be bigger so the lemurs can find what they need to survive. In some cases, a savanna territory can be three times as big as the territory in the forest. Even though they have evolved in isolation from other primates for over 60 million years, Ring-tailed lemurs share many ecological characteristics of apes and monkeys.

Unlike other prosimians, lemurs are diurnal, meaning they are most active during the day. Ring-tailed lemurs, like baboons or macaques found on mainland Africa, are social animals that are relatively adaptable to different habitats and rely heavily on fruit to make up most of their diet. Ring-tailed lemurs play a very important part in keeping their habitat healthy as seed dispersers and pollinators. Seeds and pollen from plants can get caught in their fur.

As they roam around their territory, seeds drop off and get mixed in with the soil, where a new plant starts to grow. As the lemurs brush up against flowers, pollen on their fur rubs off and helps pollinate plants. Like with many other species, there are some predators that prey on Ring-tailed lemurs. Native predators include birds like the Harrier hawk and the Madagascar buzzard, as well as the cat-like Fossa.

Human presence has added most predators to the mix, since domestic cats and dogs also hunt lemurs. Ring-tailed lemurs love fruit! They are frugivorous, meaning they primarily eat fruit, but there are exceptions.

Where available, Tamarind trees are an important food source for the Ring-tailed lemur. During the dry season and in areas where there is little open water to drink, Ring-tailed lemurs will look for food and water in the most unlikely places. They will eat the leaves of fleshy succulent plants to get water. They have also been seen eating tree bark and decaying wood, as well as insects, cocoons, caterpillars and spiders.

Like some other primates that eat a lot of leaves, Ring-tailed lemurs also have an odd habit of eating soil. Scientists think the lemurs supplement their diet with dirt to increase their intake of sodium salt.

The breeding season of the Ring-tailed lemur is usually in the middle of spring. Breeding begins in April and usually ends in May, with one or two babies being born sometime between August and November. Many will begin climbing branches and exploring on their own just two weeks after being born. They will also start eating solid food at about two months old. Being very social animals, Ring-tailed lemurs also start to establish their dominance with their peers at a young age.

By the time they are four or five months old, juveniles start to play fight, which helps them move up the social ladder. Other members of the group will help to raise the young together by grooming, carrying, feeding and playing.

This shared care also helps the young develop social skills, and gives them extra protection when needed.