There are two ring-tailed lemur pavilions at Beijing Zoo, a large small mammal area near the Nocturnal Animal Hall in the East District, and a smaller area near the Ape Hall in the West District. Although lemurs belong to the primates, they are relatively inferior species, with many more primitive traits in morphological structure, except for a very small number of species and numbers distributed in the Comoros Islands, a wide variety of lemurs live on the island of Madagascar.
King Julian in the movie "Madagascar" is based on the ring-tailed lemur! (Source: Sohu Focus Zhongshan Station)
To admire the ring-tailed lemur at the zoo, we can proceed step by step by disassembling its name. First look at its slightly smaller head, the forehead is low, the ears are larger, both ears have a lot of fur, the sides of the head are also covered with long hairs, the forehead, back of the ears and cheeks are white, and the black snout and eye circles constitute a sharp contrast, very interesting. The most typical feature is that its snout is long and prominent, so that the whole face does not look like a monkey, but like a fox, so it is called "lemur".
Look at its most "monkey-like" body. Although it is exhibited in the "Small Mammal Zone", the ring-tailed lemur is also 30-45 cm long (the length of mammals does not count the tail), which is not small. The hairs on the back of its body are light grayish brown and the abdomen is grayish white. Curiously, it likes to "pay homage" to the first rays of sunlight every day - spreading its limbs and facing the sun, so that the warm sun sprinkles on its chest, abdomen, arms and thighs to drive away the cold of the night, so people call it "sun worshipper".
The most attractive thing about its body is undoubtedly the tail that is longer than its body, which is 40-50 centimeters, especially the above also has 11-12 black and white rings, which has become its unique feature, which is easy to distinguish from other lemurs, so it is named ring-tailed lemur, also known as the knot-tailed lemur. This beautiful ringtail, which often rises high as it moves, resembles a flag made up of black and white rings, appears so striking that it can be spotted even from a distance, as a signal that ring-tailed lemurs stay in touch with each other as they roam the wild.
The function of this iconic big tail doesn't stop there. It also often rubs the secretions of glands such as the upper chest and the inner side of the forearm with its tail to emit its own odor in the air, and the smell of each individual is as unique as a human fingerprint, showing the different positions of its owner in the group, so as to distinguish individuals in the group, communicate with each other, and can also serve as a sign of road signs and territories. What's more, this scent can be used as a weapon to attack opponents, by showing off, waving their tails, and repelling enemies with the stink that drifts to the front. Especially in the estrus season every year, a fierce "stink war" must be launched between male monkeys, and the winner can get the favor of female monkeys.
Lemurs have large and round eyes, which are usually the hallmark of nocturnal animals, but lemurs are not strictly nocturnal, and most species are diurnal, of which the ring-tailed lemur is the only species that is completely active during the day, and usually likes to gather together in groups.
In the wild, ring-tailed lemurs are only found in the southern part of the African island of Madagascar and inhabit the drier, sparsely forested rocky terrain, but because of the often water source, a rich flora is formed nearby, known as the "forest corridor". Unlike most other lemurs that live in dense forests, ring-tailed lemurs prefer to move on the ground and do not slip even when walking or jumping on smooth rocks. Whether between the branches or on the ground, jumping forward is their usual way, and playing with each other is also "commonplace".
While sleeping, the body curls up into clumps, buries the head and forearm between the feet, and the tail extends forward to the back. It can walk upright on the branches of large trees, and when jumping between trees, it can adjust the balance of the body with a long fluffy tail, jumping up to 9 meters away, and always grasps the trunk with its hind feet first, and always faces up and backwards when it goes down. When resting, it likes to use comb-like lower incisors and hook-like claws to groom.
Ring-tailed lemurs generally consist of adult males, females and cubs and have their own territorial range. There is a strict hierarchy in the group, with females having the highest status over males in terms of food and spatial dominance, with older females having the highest status. In everyday life, the female monkey is usually responsible for directing the action, and the female monkey and the cub also enjoy many privileges. Female monkeys remain in their original groups for life, while males wander among groups. The responsibility for protecting the territory is often borne by the female monkeys, and when the two groups fight each other for territory and food, it is often the female monkeys who fight with each other first, and the male monkeys just follow behind to "wave the flag and shout".
Ring-tailed lemurs in the wild feed on leaves, flowers, fruits, and insects. When nibbling on young shoots on trees, the "hands" of the forelimbs are often used to hold the young shoots and tear them with their molars. It spends 3-4 hours a day on the ground collecting fallen fruits, etc., and also goes to a fixed water source to drink water, and often licks the dew on the grass, but never far from the woods. When drinking water, the male must let the female and cub drink the water first, otherwise they will be driven away by the female. In zoos, ring-tailed lemurs eat mainly bananas, apples, grapes, guavas, dates, papayas, cucumbers, tomatoes, quail eggs, carrots, lettuce, oilweed and bread worms. However, as long as it has the ability, it still likes to eat the leaves in the garden as if it were in the wild.
Estrus mating in ring-tailed lemurs occurs in November and December of each year.
The gestation period of female monkeys is about 5 months, and generally each litter is 1-2 litters, and occasionally 3 litters are born. When the cubs are born, the body is bare and hairless, and the female monkeys live with the cubs after the hair grows. Female monkeys are extremely fond of young monkeys, and in almost all activities, the cubs are either hanging under the mother's belly, or lying on the mother's back, and putting the small head on the mother's head, which is quite interesting.
Since the activity is started very early, the flexibility of the cubs increases rapidly. After a few weeks, it can run around, often leaving its mother for a little adventure game on a nearby branch, but the slightest movement will immediately return to its mother's back. Pups can live independently after half a year of age, and reach sexual maturity at 2-3 years old.
Two exhibits of the ring-tailed lemur at beijing zoo illustrate its abundance, and in fact, the species is exhibited in larger zoos across the country, and many range from captivity to free range, and some even interact with visitors. However, the wild lemur population is not optimistic, 15 species have been extinct, and the surviving species also inhabit isolated woodlands. At present, scientists and animal protection workers are carrying out a lot of research work in order to protect these precious endemic animals on the island of Madagascar.
(The pictures in this article are all taken by the author unless otherwise noted)
Author: Li Xiangtao