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Habitat |
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| Ring-tailed lemurs are found exclusively on the island of Madagascar, off the Southeast coast of Africa, populating the South and Southeastern regions of the island.
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 Permission for photo use granted from: Primate Info Net |
| Ring-Tailed
lemurs require primary forests, undisturbed from human activity. They are found
inhabiting nine forests: Andohahela, Andringitra, Ankilitelo, Berenty,
Beza Mahafaly, Isalo, Tsimanampetsotsa, Tsirave, and Zombiste. The
terrain ranges from desert or thorny scrub on the western side of the
island to more lush deciduous forests with grassy floors and rainforests
on the eastern side. Typically they are found in a close vicinity of
rivers or other sources of fresh water. Average temperatures range from 24oC (75.2oF)
to 48oC (118.4oF).
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The population density of ring-tailed lemurs depends on the quality of the environment. For more lush habitats, there can be as many as 350 ring-tailed lemurs per km2. In drier areas, there can be as few as 17 per km2. Ring-tailed lemurs usually live in a .1 to .35 km2 home range, spending three to four days there before moving on to another area. Seasonally, the lemurs expand their home ranges. In drier conditions, home ranges increase in size; in moister conditions, home ranges decrease. Ring-Tailed lemurs can also be found in captivity at zoos. |
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