The ring-tailed lemur is a restless lemur from Madagascar. Description and photo of the ring-tailed lemur

The message about the lemur will tell you what lemurs eat in nature, provide a description of the lemur and a lot interesting information. A story about a lemur for children can be supplemented with interesting facts.

Report about the lemur

Lemurs are the most large group among the prosimians. Lemuroids are found only in Madagascar and the Comoros Islands.

Currently, the lemuridae order includes 101 species of animals. Lemurs vary significantly in size and appearance. While some dwarf lemurs weigh only 30 grams, some indris reach 10 kg. Most lemurs are on the verge of extinction and are listed in the Red Book.

Lemur description for children

Lemurs have a dense, elongated body and a small, round or slightly flattened head. The muzzle of most animals is elongated and pointed, like that of a fox. The lemur's eyes are huge, close-set and often saucer-shaped. Their expression is usually somewhere between amazement and fear. The eye color of lemurs is usually red-orange, tan or yellow.

Lemurs have a luxurious, long and usually bushy tail, which plays a significant role in the life of the primate.

The thick fur of a lemur can be different colors: Some species are gray-brown in color, others have bright black and white, red-brown or red fur.

Lemur lifestyle

All species of lemurs live exclusively in forests rich in fruits and insects. Lemurs spend the main part of their lives in trees, deftly and quickly climbing from branch to branch, using their long tail.

Most species of lemurs are active at night or at dusk; during the day they sleep in tree hollows or nests. They fall asleep in the strangest positions: tightly clutching a branch and wrapping their tail around their heads. Sometimes they sleep in pairs, forming a kind of fur ball. They sleep very lightly and can even be awakened by the buzzing of a fly or beetle. Their ears then rise, their large eyes flap their eyelids sleepily, but not for long, since these animals are very afraid of daylight.

Lemurs live in groups of 3 to 20-30 individuals, where a strict hierarchy is established. More often, the female dominates the pack, which has an advantage in terms of food and the right to choose a partner during the mating season.

What do lemurs eat?

Lemurs eat plant foods - these are tree leaves and ripe fruits, such as figs and bananas, as well as flowers, young shoots, seeds and tree bark. Among insects, lemurs can eat beetles, mantises, moths, lanternflies, crickets, spiders, and cockroaches.

Lemur breeding

Small species of lemurs reach sexual maturity at the age of 1.5 years, and female indris mature only at 4-5 years. Mating behavior Most lemurs consist of loud screams and touching their partner.

Typically, female lemurs give birth once a year. The duration of pregnancy depends on the species, and on average ranges from 2 months (in the smallest species) to 5-6 months (in large species). Usually 1-2 blind cubs are born, but already on the second day they open their eyes. Milk feeding lasts up to 4-5 months, then the lemurs become independent.

How long does a lemur live?

The average lifespan of a lemur is about 20 years.

Enemies of lemurs in nature

The main enemies of lemurs in their natural environment habitats include owls, hawks, civets, snakes, such as the Madagascar tree boa.

Most species of lemurs tolerate captivity calmly. Some become strongly attached to people, while others remain completely indifferent to them.

We hope the information provided about the lemur helped you. You can leave your report about the lemur using the comment form.

The world is full amazing creatures, some of them are well distributed and known, others live in certain places and are rarely seen. Lemurs are a suborder of primates found almost exclusively on the island of Madagascar. Nature has rewarded them with a fluffy tail and large, round eyes. Here's 30 interesting facts, which you may not have known about these cute and fluffy animals.

Facts about Madagascar

Lemurs have always lived in Madagascar.

Previously, they lived on the African continent, but could not cope with the competition of monkeys.

Madagascar, home to lemurs, is the fourth largest island in the world.

When Madagascar broke away from the continent, lemurs reached the island on a drifting tree.

Appearance of lemurs

The smallest species are called pygmy or dwarf mouse lemurs and weigh about 30 grams.

Lemurs' nails are flat, like those of humans.

To enhance their scent, they use their tail as a fan when communicating.

The tail of lemurs is longer than their body and, in addition to communication, is used to maintain balance.

Lemurs use the second toe of their hind legs for grooming.

A two-year-old lemur is already considered an adult, although few of the cubs survive to this age.

Of all the primates, lemurs are the most different from humans.

The smallest lemur weighs 30 grams, and the largest can reach almost 8 kg.

Blue-eyed lemurs are one of two species of primates whose eyes are truly blue.

Life of lemurs

Lemurs eat mainly fruits and leaves; their favorite delicacy is Indian dates.

They can eat flowers, insects, grass, as well as bark and rotten wood.

Lemurs sunbathe in the sun in entire colonies in the morning.

They communicate using smells.

If the lemur feels threatened, it attacks the enemy with its short nails.

When there is not enough food around, they may hibernate for a short time.

The olfactory glands are located on the wrists of lemurs.

When fighting among themselves for the female, lemurs try to drive away the enemy with a strong scent, which they apply to their tail with the help of their wrists, after which they wave it furiously.

These animals adapt well to different conditions; they are able to slow down the metabolism in their body and not even give birth to cubs if circumstances do not allow it.

Lemurs spend most of their lives in trees.

Because of this, their gait is very funny - when moving on land, the animal raises its front legs up and makes wave-like movements.

A few more interesting facts

The name of the species comes from Latin word lemures, meaning "night ghosts".

The ring-tailed lemur, or catta, spends more time on the ground than other subspecies.

Lemurs belong to the order of wet-nosed primates.

Unfortunately, aye-ayes often fall into traps and are considered "evil spirits" by local residents.

Unlike other animals, lemurs do very well in captivity.

The lifespan of lemurs is on average 16 to 18 years.

Lemurs are one of the most unusual primates that attract lovers of the animal world with their unusual and even mysterious beauty. The word "" itself comes from a Greek word. In mythology Ancient Greece Lemurs were called night spirits.

It can be assumed that the animal lemur is so named because it is similar to the night spirit in its lifestyle and huge round eyes, which sometimes make it similar not only to the night spirits, but also to an alien creature. Lemur photo truly unusual and there is something special about them that attracts attention and enchants.

An interesting fact is that the life of this amazing animal is covered in secrets and riddles and for a long time scientists knew nothing about. For example, in 1999 only a little more than 30 species were known, but now biologists are talking about as many as 100 species.

It is noticeable that research has advanced significantly and discovered new facts from the life of lemurs only in recent decades. Now there is a clear classification, which was completely different before. In the recent past, lemur-like animals were classified as prosimians, but later it turned out that this was not the case at all.

One of the most ancient primates on our earth are the wet-nosed primates, and lemurs belong to this suborder. This is explained by a number of factors and characteristics of lemurs, which are quite large group.

The lemur family includes very diverse appearance representatives, there are very small animals, and on the contrary, there are species that include large individuals. The smallest lemurs can weigh about 30 grams, while their larger members of the family weigh as much as 10 kilograms.

Accordingly, the sizes of these lemurs also differ significantly from each other. The smallest among lemurs is the mouse microcebus, whose body length is approximately 10-13 centimeters, but the largest is Polumak, its body length is 50 centimeters. These indicators do not take into account the length of the tail, which is a unique decoration and one of the most important parts of the lemur’s body.

Lemurs, although they belong to the same family, may have their own characteristics. This is most often due to their lifestyle. Most lemurs prefer to lead an active life in the dark, but there are also those for whom daytime is more suitable for this.

The same can be said about the diet of these animals: some of them feed exclusively on vegetation, that is, they are a kind of vegetarians; while other representatives of this family have a mixed diet, that is, they eat food of different origins.

In nature, lemurs can be found on and on the Comoros Islands, this is where these animals live. Most species of lemurs are listed in the Red Book and they need protection and special treatment from the people.

In the recent past, lemurs inhabited the islands completely, but over time they increasingly reduced their distribution area; now they can only be found in forested areas.

How exactly these “alien animals” appeared on the island of Madagascar remains a mystery to this day; scientists only speculate and build their hypotheses, but reliable information has not yet been found.

People reached the island about 1,500 years ago, and since then the disappearance of lemurs began. They say that at least 8 genera and 16 species of this exotic animal have disappeared from existence.

Lemurs are attractive to poachers because they have an unusual appearance, beautiful fur, they are slow, and many have enough large sizes. Currently large number lemurs are under threat; they may soon disappear from the fauna of our planet.

Lemurs are quite friendly and calm, so they are often kept as pets. As a rule, many large pet stores have lemurs in stock. Lemur prices quite tall, since this is an exotic animal. Small lemur can be bought for about 80-100 thousand rubles.

However, prices can fluctuate sharply in different stores, and for individuals they generally have no specific limits. However, any animal needs care, and the same goes for domestic lemurs. For them, it is very important to have a good, spacious cage with snags and branches, which is well cleaned every day so that there is no dirt and no drafts.

Of course, you should also take care of adequate nutrition. Very appreciated among buyers lemur loris, which has very unusual appearance and is liked by both children and adults. The price for this type of lemur is much higher than for others.

In general, it is a very big responsibility to take such a pet into your home, so if you are not confident in your abilities and financial capabilities, then it is better to limit yourself to purchasing lemur toys, which will also bring you joy.

Reproduction and lifespan

Reproduction of these unusual ones has its own characteristics. Let's look at the breeding process of ring-tailed lemurs. As a rule, females give birth to one baby during one breeding season, but in some cases two babies are born at once.

The female's pregnancy lasts 222 days; babies are born during the rainy season, this time from August to September. The babies weigh approximately 100 grams. From the first moments of life, babies are very tenacious; they hang on their mother’s fur, and this is how they spend the first months of their lives.

First, the baby hangs on the mother’s stomach, and then moves onto her back. After about 1.5-2 months, the lemur cub begins to leave its mother and make its first independent forays.

But he cannot get by on his own, so he is with his mother during sleep and feeding. Only at the age of 6 months do baby lemurs become independent and no longer need the care of an adult.

The lifespan of a lemur is approximately 35-37 years; as a rule, in an artificially created environment they can live longer if they are provided with proper care and nutrition.

Nutrition

Various types Lemurs have a preference for different foods. Some of them feed exclusively on vegetation, while some also include an animal component in their diet. Lemurs mainly feed on fruits, various fruits; in addition, they eat leaves, flowers, young shoots of plants, and can also feast on cacti.

Some of the lemur family add to their food, which is usually a source of protein. The main thing is that the diet is well balanced, then the lemur fully develops and grows healthy, leading an active lifestyle.

These animals live only in Madagascar. And, despite such a narrow habitat, the species of lemurs on the island are very diverse.

Who is Lemur?

Lemur is an animal that belongs to the suborder of wet-nosed primates. Lives exclusively in Madagascar.

What do lemurs look like?

These exotic animals have different sizes and differ in species. Here are some of them:

• Dwarf
• Indri
• Extinct species that were larger in size.

If the dwarf lemur weighs only 30 grams, then animals of a species such as Indri can reach a weight of up to 10 kilograms. They have quite powerful fangs, which stand out slightly at the bottom of their jaw. They also have characteristic structure paws that have a long claw in the area of ​​the second toe.

In addition to Madagascar, they are found in the Comoros Islands, but extremely rarely. Their name came to us from Ancient Roman mythology. They lead night look life and have rather large eyes.

Lemurs are sedentary and occupy permanent areas, which they protect from the invasion of neighbors. Little has been studied about the lifestyle of small lemur species.

The most common types

According to statistics, in 1999, 31 species of these animals were known, while in 2008 there were already 97 species. Let's look at the main types:

• Hand-footed
• Dwarf
• Megaladapids
• Indriaceae

For the most part, he has the same lemon-yellow eyes and a pointed muzzle. It has a gray-white color with a white belly that stands out against the general background. But the tail has black evenly spaced rings in combination with white ones, which gives it an expressive and extraordinary appearance. Even the cry of this animal is very reminiscent of the meowing of a cat.

Lemur lifestyle

These animals are very sociable and spend most of their lives on the ground. They can be found in numbers of 30 individuals at once. Despite their rather flexible nature, lemurs in the family have quite strict rules. Unlike other animals, the main one in the pack is the female, who enjoys such advantages as the choice of food and male.

Listen to the voice of a lemur

The female always remains in the pack in which she was born, unlike males, who can move to other families several times. Typically, each group of males has its own territory, which it walks around every day, monitoring it, and searching for food.

They do not favor alien animals and are quite hostile towards them. Their favorite pastime is considered to be relaxing under the warm rays of the sun while they spread their paws in different directions.

What do lemurs eat?

Lemurs feed mainly on fruits. Sometimes fallen leaves, flowers and some insects. Mating games of these animals usually begin in April, which leads to the birth of one and sometimes two cubs. The weight of the cub usually does not exceed 120 grams.

Life expectancy is usually between 35-38 years. Today there is a threat of extinction of this animal. This is due to a sharp decline in their population. Thus, the number of ring-tailed lemurs is about 100 thousand individuals. But hunting this animal has a detrimental effect on its reproduction.

The lemur is rightfully considered one of the most mysterious animals. Everyone can imagine a cute animal with big eyes, familiar from the cartoon “Madagascar,” but not everyone knows that there are 101 species of these animals, very different from each other in lifestyle, color, size, and food preferences. Until recently, virtually nothing was known about them: only 16 species were thought to exist. But in lately The life of these unique animals is being actively studied. Scientists have already made serious discoveries, described each species, and learned what different lemurs eat in nature. But there are still mysteries, and they will be revealed in the near future.

Lemur - description, origin of the name

There is an interesting version about the appearance of the name of this cute animal.

Once upon a time, ancient Roman sailors who visited the island of Madagascar heard piercing screams in the thickets at night, reminiscent of the screams of children. Having gone to help, as they believed, the kids, who most likely wanted to be eaten by predatory animals, they saw rather large eyes burning in the darkness. Fantasy, spurred by fear, forced the Romans to run away, because, in their opinion, “lemurs” lived in the thickets. Translated from the ancient Roman language, this word meant “evil spirits”, “ghosts”.

The sailors did not even believe then that such a cute creature, similar to monkeys or even people, not at all scary and not dangerous, could frighten them so much. So, talking about evil spirits, eating children on the island of Madagascar, travelers mentioned lemurs. And the name stuck.

Where do lemurs live?

Lemurs are endemic animals because their habitat is limited to the island of Madagascar and the Comoros Islands, located between Africa and Madagascar. If previously animals occupied almost the entire island of Madagascar, now in the natural environment they can only be found in the west (from Fort Dauphin to Monradov) and in the Andringitra mountain range.

According to legend, lemurs sailed from Africa on rafts they themselves built. This, of course, could not have happened, but there is some truth in this story. Modern scientists argue that the animals could well have crossed to the island that separated from the continent on large branches and logs during the period of lowering sea levels, and perhaps crossed over the shallows formed during that period. Since they had practically no enemies on the island, the populations grew rapidly. The local nature also helped the lemurs: the forests were full of a variety of suitable food.

According to another version, it was precisely those populations that survived that remained on the part that separated from the mainland and is now Madagascar itself, since there were much fewer enemies and much more food.

Now the places where lemurs live are various forests: dry woodlands, wet jungles, mountain slopes. Most exist alone, preferring a nocturnal lifestyle. Some species form families.

Sometimes particularly brave representatives wander into city parks or visit landfills in search of food.

If you see lemurs in their natural environment, do not try to catch them: firstly, it is almost impossible; secondly, most species are protected because their populations are declining - you will be responsible for the caught animal.

Description of lemurs

For many, lemurs are cute animals with big eyes, soft, fluffy fur, lazily crawling from branch to branch and chewing leaves. There is a lot of both true and unfair in this image that has formed in the mind. Indeed, most animals have huge eyes, but not all species have large eyes. Not all have soft fur. And these animals are not always lazy and slow; some run quite quickly on the ground, are able to move along rocky mountain ledges, jump from branch to branch, covering considerable distances.

The diversity of species also entails differences in the appearance of the animal. We will talk about individual representatives of lemurs in the continuation of the article, but for now we will highlight the main characteristics of these unique animals.

The size of the animal depends on its species: the largest are indri - they grow up to a meter and can weigh about 10 kg, and the smallest are dwarf mouse lemurs, which do not grow more than 23 cm, of which 10 cm is the length of the tail, with a weight of about 50 gr. studies have shown that animals of this species that once existed and have become extinct by our time could weigh about 200 kg and have gigantic size(from a two-year-old calf).

The muzzle of most lemurs is elongated, reminiscent of a fox. The eyes are most often disproportionately large located in front, which makes it seem. that the animal is somewhat surprised. Eye color also depends on the species: most often orange-red, brown-yellow. The black lemur has blue eyes that are unique in the animal world.

The limbs of the animals have five fingers, well developed, since grasping functions are very important for climbing trees. All animals thumb The forelimbs are opposed to the rest, which makes it possible to cling tightly to branches. On the second finger lower limbs a huge claw flaunts (most have nails growing on the remaining fingers), with which they “comb” the thick fur. But the length of the limbs relative to the fore-hind proportion may differ depending on the species: in some, the forelimbs are much longer than the hind limbs. This is due to woody way life and the need to cling to branches and hang. The same species that live on land have either relatively the same size limbs or more developed hind limbs.

Many lemurs have luxurious tails, which, in turn, perform many functions: it helps balance while jumping or running, clings to branches and holds the animal, and is a signaling tool for other individuals, especially those living in flocks. The big-tailed lemur is very attentive to him: he always takes care of hygiene. Sometimes the length of the tail exceeds the size of the animal’s body. And only indri lemurs have relatively short tails, growing only up to 5 cm.

Watching these funny animals, you can note that they look at unfamiliar objects very carefully, but are in no hurry to touch them. In the natural environment, young, inexperienced individuals spend a long time studying new animals or plants. A domestic lemur will never touch a thing without examining it in detail and assessing its safety.

Lifestyle of lemurs in their natural environment

If previously it was believed that lemurs are exclusively nocturnal animals, then recent studies of the life of these animals prove that the diversity of species also differs in behavioral characteristics, daily activity, single or family (gregarious) way of life.

The Madagascar monkey also leads a nocturnal lifestyle: during the daytime, this rather large animal hides in the foliage of trees, but at night it wakes up to eat and communicate with its relatives, that’s when everyone hears terrifying screams. With the onset of darkness, many dwarf lemurs, hiding during the day in shelters in the trees, wake up. Slender-bodied lemurs are nocturnal and prefer to live in thickets.

But the ring-tailed lemur is more active during the day than at night. This is due to the fact that they live on earth. Red warries, which live exclusively in trees, also demonstrate a diurnal lifestyle. The short-tailed indris are rightfully considered the most “daytime”: these animals gladly expose their bodies to the sun, stretching out on the branches of trees, and fall asleep when darkness falls. Crested sifakas (vero), which live in trees in the humid areas of the island, are also active during the day.

The activity of macaco (black) lemurs depends on the season and on the phase of the moon: during the new moon and during dry times they lead a fairly passive lifestyle, and during the rainy season these animals become active from sunrise to dusk.

Lemurs are characterized by a state of seasonal hibernation: for some time they hide in shelters and spend time in a state of rest.

The social relationships of these animals are also varied. As a rule, lemurs live in packs led by females. Growing young animals rarely leave their family, but continue to live inside, occupying their position determined by status. These “family” ones include ring-tailed lemurs (cat-tailed lemurs), which live in packs with clearly structured intra-family hierarchical relationships and distribution of responsibilities. Red-headed moths also live in flocks of up to 20 individuals.

Small-toothed lemurs are solitary animals that short time pair up to have offspring. Many species of small lemurs are solitary, preferring to live in small hollows in trees or burrows.

Indris usually live as a family: a female, a male and their offspring of different ages. If mature animals create their own family, they separate from their parents and go to their own territory. Indris communicate their rights to the territory not only with traditional marks, but also with loud morning singing. Golden bamboo lemurs also create the same ideal families. The composition is simple: parents and offspring, who, growing up, leave the family and create their own.

Recent studies have shown that Madagascar bats, who prefer to be solitary (they build nests in the forks of trees exclusively for themselves), prefer to hunt or play in pairs.

All lemurs are territorial animals that mark their habitat with urine or special enzymes and protect their area from uninvited guests. Arboreal animals mark their homes by scratching tree bark or biting branches.

What do lemurs eat and what do they eat in the wild?

In their natural environment, lemurs feed mainly on plant foods, although it cannot be said that all animals of this species eat the same.

Since most of these animals live in trees, their diet consists of what they could find around them. As a rule, these are ripe fruits (figs, bananas), leaves, young shoots, plant seeds, flowers. Large individuals can also feast on tree bark.

Plant food is not always enough to replenish strength, so lemurs compensate for this by long rests or slow movements.

Small individuals, for example, dwarf lemurs, happily feed on the nectar of flowers, their pollen, and plant resins. This animal also eats larvae and even small insects.

Some species have special preferences for plant foods. Madagascar bats are very fond of the milk of coconuts and mangoes, the ring-tailed lemur is very fond of the fruits of the Indian date (tamarind), and the golden and bamboo lemurs are partial to bamboo shoots.

But not all lemurs are herbivores. You should know that the lemur sometimes eats insects: various beetles, butterflies (especially those that fly at night), spiders, mantises, cockroaches. The gray mouse lemur will not refuse small vertebrates: chameleons and frogs. Observations of animals have shown that they even eat small birds and their eggs.

Indri lemurs sometimes eat the ground. This dietary feature is caused by the need to neutralize some toxic substances contained in plants.

Animals usually grab food with their teeth or take it with their front paws and bring it to their mouth. It is very interesting to watch animals while eating, since many of them resemble people.

A lemur at home or in a zoo can switch to food that is not typical for it and quickly get used to a change in its natural diet, but it is still necessary to take into account the preferences of the animal in nature.

Puberty occurs differently in each species. The smaller the animal in size and weight, the sooner it becomes capable of producing offspring. Thus, large indris become sexually mature only at the age of five, and the dwarf mouse lemur can reproduce within a year. Despite the fact that some species can live more than 30 years, their reproductive age is short.

Usually the mating period of animals coincides with a certain season. This is connected with nutrition - food preferences affect the time of courtship.

During mating games animals call each other with loud cries, rub against their chosen ones, and try to mark them with their scent.

The relationship between a female and a male develops differently. In most species, pairs do not form. One male may well be the father of the cubs of many females and takes virtually no part in raising the younger generation. But in the Indriidae family, monogamous couples form: the animal finds a new partner only if its own dies.

Despite the fact that pregnancy in lemurs, depending on the species, lasts from two to seven and a half months, they produce offspring only once a year. And some species, for example, the Madagascar bat, even less often, once every 2-3 years.

Most often, one cub is born, less often two. This is due to the fact that they are born absolutely helpless. Some weigh no more than 5 grams. Even babies of large individuals are born weighing only 80-120 grams. The little lemur opens its eyes on the second to fifth day; until this time it practically does not hear. Only rare species They give birth to sighted children. But babies have well-developed grasping reflexes: as soon as they are born, they already cling to their mother’s fur on the belly, where they find milk and warmth. And only after a few weeks they are able to move onto the female’s back, where they will stay for about six months. Not every mother is able to bear two babies, which is why they give birth rarely and in small numbers.

After two to three months, the cubs sometimes begin to leave the female’s back in order to independently develop the territory. Caring parents return runaways, since careless kids can fall from trees and die.

But the appearance and first months of life of cubs in some species have their own characteristics. Thus, the gray mouse lemur breeds offspring in specially prepared hollows, where the babies spend up to two weeks and only then go out into the world.

The appearance of offspring in lemur lemurs occurs in a special way. First, they build a nest for future children. Secondly, these are the only lemurs that can give birth to 5-6 babies at once. And finally, for several weeks the lemurs remain in the nest under the supervision of the male, rather than clinging to the female.

Lory lemurs are very picky in choosing a partner. Recently, these animals are often kept as pets. If in the natural environment there is an opportunity to create a pair with that. whoever sympathizes with the animal, then the loris lemur at home, even if there is an individual of the opposite sex nearby, may not have offspring, since he simply will not like the partner.

The decline of many lemur populations is directly related to the characteristics of reproduction. In captivity, animals may not reproduce at all.

Types of lemurs

Since lemurs had practically no enemies in Madagascar, and the primates that displaced them from other habitats were not found here, the animals had the opportunity to evolve. The study of these animals began relatively recently: research has shown that there are more than 100 species of these unique animals, which are divided into 4 families:

Each of the existing families has its own subspecies.

Archaeological finds have shown that animals appeared in Madagascar 50 million years ago, and at the moment there are 3 families that are already extinct:

• megadalapids;
• paleopropithecus;
• archaeolemurs.

These animals are unique business card Madagascar, although they live only in the southern part of the island. Official name– The ring-tailed lemur, or catta, belongs to the lemur family.

They live in families with strong hierarchical relationships: the head of the pack is the alpha female, who carefully monitors order and leads her relatives to feed. Males of this species do not stay in the pack for long; they usually come only during the mating period, and then leave in search of other packs. This behavior ensures healthy offspring without inbreeding.

The ring-tailed lemur has a very original coloring: the eyes seem to be thickly outlined with dark areas of fur, which makes the animal look serious and attentive. The brown-gray back and light belly resemble human clothing, so it is believed to be a human-like creature, especially when the catta stands on its hind legs.

A distinctive feature of representatives of this species is their bright long tail, colored with successive black and white stripes, of which there are most often 25, always ending in black. The length of the tail can exceed the size of the catta's body, up to 65 cm with a body up to 45; at the same time, the weight of this decoration can reach up to 1.5 kg with the total weight of the animal up to 3.5. When moving on the ground, all members of the flock raise their tail high so that the alpha female can see where everyone is.

The ring-tailed lemur moves equally easily on the ground and jumps through trees, which makes it difficult prey for the fossa.

Another feature of these animals is their very long reproductive age - they can bear offspring almost until the end of their lives, which helps maintain the population.

Gray mouse lemur

The dwarf lemur family includes 5 genera with 30 species, among which the gray mouse lemur is the most famous, since it is now quite often purchased as pet.

This cute lemur with very large kind eyes is rightfully considered the smallest, its weight does not exceed 65 grams. It lives only in the north and west of the island.

According to its way of life in its natural environment, the gray mouse lemur is a nocturnal animal. During the day he sleeps in a hollow tree, sometimes in the company of same-sex relatives, sometimes alone, and at night he goes out to hunt. The animal rarely descends to the ground, but travels well through the trees. Despite its very small size, it can jump over distances of up to three meters.

The food for this baby is flower nectar, flowers themselves, plant resin, insect larvae and even small insects. For its size, the animal is quite voracious.

By the age of one year, the dwarf mouse lemur becomes sexually mature. 2 months after mating, the female gives birth to two and sometimes three cubs, which spend up to two weeks in the hollow and only then begin to gradually come out. Babies are born very small, weighing no more than 5 grams, but covered in wool. In their natural environment, these animals reproduce until they are approximately 6 years old, although the domestic lemur can live for 20 years.

In nature, these animals have a lot of enemies (snakes, birds, fossas), so the mortality rate is quite high.

At home, the gray mouse lemur easily takes root, but future owners must take into account the animal’s nocturnal lifestyle. During the day he will sleep in his shelter, and at night he will be active.

The Madagascar bat is the only representative of the family of bats, so for a long time there were disputes regarding its classification as lemurs or rodents. But nevertheless, the researchers decided that in terms of its structure this animal is a lemur.

The animal weighs about 3 kg, the size of the fluffy tail is up to 60 cm, much larger than the body - up to 43 cm. The animal has a large head with huge, almost bald ears, an elongated nose and attentive eyes. The body is covered with black or with a slight brown tint of coarse hair.

A distinctive feature of the Madagascar monkey is its very long toes, with the help of which it perfectly clings to trees and obtains food for itself. Particularly useful middle finger with a deadly claw, with which the animal, like a woodpecker, taps a tree, finds and takes out the larvae. With the help of the same tool, the little arm breaks through coconuts and gets its favorite delicacy - coconut milk. But when walking on the ground, her fingers get in the way, so she leans on her fists and goes down to the ground extremely rarely. The teeth of the arm, accustomed to gnawing bark, grow throughout its life.

The animal is exclusively nocturnal. During the day he sleeps in shelters. It is worth noting that the little bat builds several houses and hides in them one by one, probably so that predators cannot notice its hiding place.

The lemur, called “ay-ay” by local residents, received its middle name because of its rare screams, which for some reason they were afraid to hear.

The Madagascar bat reproduces very slowly: females give birth once every 2-3 years, most often one baby is born, so the existence of this animal was under threat several decades ago.

IN recent years little arms are taken into the house as pets. Breeders should take into account the behavioral characteristics of these animals and be prepared for the fact that they will be awakened at night by their frightening screams.

There is still debate about whether Loriids belong to lemurs. On the one hand, the animal, which is very similar in appearance to the Madagascar lemur, has a similar lifestyle and reproductive characteristics as other representatives. On the other hand, the habitat is not Madagascar at all, but the forests of Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, the Malaysian Peninsula, the islands of Java, Sumatra, Borneo, Central Africa And South Asia. The loris has virtually no tail, which distinguishes it from other lemurs.

And yet, most people consider lorises to be lemurs. In recent years, they are often kept as pets, touched by their charm. The loris lemur adapts quite quickly at home, but breeders must take into account the peculiarity of the animal’s existence in its natural environment.

Loris belong to the order of primates, the suborder of the wet-nosed animals. There are five families of these animals, among which the most famous are the slow and slender lorises. Their body length does not exceed 40 cm, and their weight is 2 kg. They have a light brown coat with a dark stripe along the back and an almost black edging around the expressive eyes.

These are slow-moving animals that are exclusively nocturnal. They have huge eyes that can see perfectly in the dark. During the day, the animals hide high in the crowns in built shelters. They are very well adapted to life in trees: they deftly move from branch to branch, clinging tightly with their paws. But lorises, like many of their cousins, cannot jump at all.

Most often they live alone, but communication with relatives is important for them, so the lemur loris at home, being the only one, can become very sad. They take a long time to choose a mate. They become sexually mature only after a year and a half, then they find a partner. Pregnancy lasts quite a long time for an animal of this size - about 7 months, after which one, rarely two babies are born. They are born sighted, their coat color is lighter, almost silver, than that of adults, but by 2 months they already acquire a permanent color. Up to a year, and sometimes longer, babies stay near their mother. If they want to communicate something, they emit a quiet chirping sound, reminiscent of a bird. The male never takes part in raising the offspring.

In nature, these animals live up to 17 years, and at home they can live longer.

Endangered Lemur Species

Scientists have calculated that about a hundred species of lemurs live on the island of Madagascar, differing from each other in size, color, lifestyle, and diet. But not everyone feels comfortable. Some species due to poaching and uncontrolled logging forests are on the verge of extinction. Let's imagine animals whose lives are in danger.

• White-fronted indri (diadem sifaka). The habitat is the very small forests of the eastern part of the island, which has a detrimental effect on the population.

• Mongoose lemur. One of the few species that lives off the island, but the reduction of possible habitats threatens its existence.

• Brown mouse lemur. The nocturnal species is the smallest representative of the species, resembling a mouse, which is why it got its name.

• Aye-aye (Madagascar little hand). The largest representative. Active at night and before sunrise. In recent decades, it has suffered greatly from poachers.

• Brown lemur. Lives exclusively in Madagascar. Very friendly to other animals.

• Gapalemurs. A special feature of this species is its ability to swim. Unlike their other brethren, who prefer to spend most of their time in tree branches or on the ground, animals of this subspecies feel comfortable in the water.

• Golden-headed sifaka. They live in flocks with clearly structured hierarchical relationships; they often become victims of fossa, so their population is greatly reduced.

• Fork-fronted lemur. It got its name because of the two dark stripes on the frontal part of the head. Prefers arthropods and small reptiles as food. Possesses unique ability jump great distances.

• Silky Sifaka. It especially suffers from poachers who hunt it for its unique fur. The cute look makes him expensive goods in the black animal trade market.

• Blue-eyed black lemur. So named because of the eye color unique to animals. Only males are black, females only red-brown color. Animals are suffering due to the reduction of forest areas. They are aggressive towards other representatives and can even kill opponents.

In recent decades, these species have been protected international organizations. Criminal penalties have been introduced for actions leading to the death of lemurs.

Extinct lemur families

Despite the numerous species, lemurs already have their losses: three families are considered extinct today. Just recently, scientists made an incredible discovery: a flooded cave was found in national park, in which a whole cemetery of giant animals was discovered. How they ended up in this place remains to be seen, but the fact of the existence of lemurs in Madagascar from the Pleistocene to the present day is irrefutable.

• Megaladapis family. We can talk about the appearance of these animals solely from archaeological finds, since they became extinct quite a long time ago, about 10-12 thousand years ago. Although there are references to the existence of megaladapis as early as 1504, that is, the time of the appearance of Europeans in Madagascar, there is no factual evidence of this.

In its structure, the creature, similar to modern koalas, was quite squat, with powerful hind legs and very long front legs. The joint of the foot and well-developed toes indicate that megaladapis were not adapted to terrestrial life, but existed well in trees. For these features they received their second name - koala lemurs.

The location of the eyes was also unusual: on the sides, and not in front, like most modern relatives. The powerful jaws and structure of the teeth indicate that these lemurs ate exclusively plant foods. These were very large animals, weighing up to 75 kg.

• Family Paleopropithecus. The study of the life of these animals proves that representatives of the family were represented on the island by four genera (Mesopropithecus, Paleopropithecus, Archaeoindri, Babakotia). It is believed that animals ceased to exist in the last millennia before new era. But there are legends that representatives of this family were seen much later, even in the 16th century of our time.

All skeletal finds were found in swampy areas of the island, often in caves, which suggests that Paleopropithecus led a terrestrial lifestyle, preferring wet areas.

Reconstruction of the animal's skeleton shows that the weight of Archaeoindri could reach up to 200 kg. Such a gigantic creature was definitely terrestrial. But representatives of the other three other genera were much smaller, 10-25 kg, and could live perfectly well on trees.

• Family Archaeolemuridae. Archaeological research shows that members of this family lived in Madagascar until approximately the 12th century. The presumable cause of death is the development of the island and hunting for them.

Reconstruction of the skeleton showed that these were quite large animals: their mass reached 25 kg. They had short limbs relative to the body; grasping capabilities were less developed compared to other related animals, which suggests that archaeolemurs primarily lived on the ground. The structure of the jaw shows that they had to carefully grind their food, which most likely included seeds, flowers, leaves, fruits, arthropods and possibly small animals.

The found bones confirm the version that the habitat of archaeolemurs was almost the entire island.

If you have a lemur at home

Recently, lemurs are often taken into the home as pets. People are attracted to the small, cute animal with expressive eyes and soft fur. Usually this is a mouse lemur or a loris lemur. At home, these animals take root safely, but it must be taken into account that the living conditions should be as close to natural as possible.

Most lemurs are nocturnal - this is how they are designed by nature; it is after sunset that they leave their shelter to eat, play and clean up; Therefore, be prepared for the fact that the loris lemur at home will hide in its house all day, and you most likely will not be able to play with your cute pet, but at night the baby will make noise.

• a shelter house attached at the top, in which the animal can hide during the day;
• all kinds of branches, climbing devices: otherwise the animal will not be able to move sufficiently (the loris lemur at home prefers to hang on branches; dwarf lemurs prefer to jump);
• drinking bowl with clean water;
• special filler for rodents.

If you have larger animals, then the enclosure should be of appropriate size.

Try to make your pet's home as close as possible in appearance to natural environment. You should not put soft toys, running wheels, or bright accessories in the enclosure - they will scare the animal.

Many owners of furry pets worry about how to organize proper nutrition. First of all, you should find out what this animal eats in its natural environment. The diversity of species also implies differences in nutrition, as well as the ratio of plant and animal foods. In nature, animals eat fruits and flowers, love nectar, pollen and plant resins; they will happily swallow larvae, small insects, and feast on bird eggs. Pets need to have the right supply of food to stay healthy and active. Most lemurs should eat the following foods:

• variety of fruits, especially those they ate in the wild;
• vegetables (raw and lightly cooked);
• cereal porridge;
• dairy products;
• freshly squeezed juices, possibly with the addition of honey;
• boiled chicken eggs or raw eggs birds (can be quail);
• insects and larvae (you can store them in the refrigerator and defrost them before use, but it is better to offer them alive).

Most lemurs go out looking for food after dark, so feed them better in the evening so as not to violate them natural image life.

The lemur's thick fur also requires care. In nature, animals comb it with their large finger claw. It should be noted that these clean animals devote a lot of time to their appearance. The loris lemur at home will also carefully sort through its fur every evening or at night, smoothing it with its paws, but pets especially love it when they are combed, with pleasure exposing their belly and back, while demonstrating obvious bliss. Owners can get a small brush with small soft bristles for their pets and periodically pamper their furry baby with pleasant treatments. But you shouldn’t comb pygmy lemurs: they are so small that any comb, even the smallest one, can damage their skin.

In the natural environment, only one species of lemur likes to swim and even knows how to swim. The rest of the animals never come near the water. Therefore, you should not bathe the lemur: baths, especially with shampoos, can disrupt the natural microflora and lead to diseases.

The animals are very curious, and if you consider that their activity time is at night, then they will begin to explore your apartment exactly when you are sleeping. Tenacious fingers will help them open the lock on the enclosure, so make sure that the cage is closed not with a primitive latch or hook, but more reliably, otherwise the animals may hang on the wires, or even taste them, and this can lead to the death of the animal.

Despite the fact that many lemurs are very selective and prefer a solitary lifestyle, keeping them better in pairs. Thus, the slender loris lemur at home suffers greatly from loneliness and may even die. It is not at all necessary that a couple will produce offspring (they rarely breed in captivity), but communication with relatives is of great importance for the animals.

When bringing a lemur into your home, remember that the animal should feel comfortable and not be your living toy.

Legends about lemurs

In Madagascar, the lemur is considered a sacred animal, because there is a legend that they were once people who went into the forest and, adapting to a different way of life, grew hair, learned to live in trees and eat fruits. The inhabitants of the island revere these animals: when they meet them, they greet them respectfully. If a lemur falls into a hunting trap, it is released, but the wounded animal will be taken home, treated, and then released into the forest.

There is a legend about the appearance of these animals in Madagascar, which says that lemurs used to live in Africa, but they did not feel safe there, so they built a raft and swam to the island. It is difficult to imagine that animals themselves can build at least some kind of vessel and cross the water to another place, but this is exactly how the legend explains their appearance.

In Madagascar, they are very wary of the Madagascan bat; they try not to mention its name again. There is a superstition that a person who kills this animal will definitely die within a year. It is believed that if an animal screams near the house, then something bad will definitely happen. Local residents are afraid of falling asleep in the forest, because when they wake up, they should find a grass pillow placed under a hand. If there is a pillow under your head, expect wealth, under your feet - a terrible curse.

Lemurs do not have hair on their palms, and the paws of most of them are very similar to human hands. The skin on the palms of animals is very sensitive, so they examine unfamiliar objects not only with their eyes, but also with their hands.

Some females carry their babies not on their backs, as usual, but in their mouths, so in order to eat, they first lay out the babies and then eat. If this is not possible, the female may remain hungry.

During dry periods, ring-tailed lemurs obtain moisture from cacti by carefully peeling off the spines.

All lemurs have a rather shrill voice, sometimes frightening because it resembles a human, or rather a child’s, cry. But the indri are rightfully considered the most vocal. This is due to the fact that animals practically do not have a tail, which for many is a signal for determining location, so a cry becomes a signal. A lemur with a very shrill voice is able to inform its relatives about danger or its location at almost a distance of one kilometer.

The tail of lemurs serves as a kind of storage room for them. This is where they store fat reserves and nutrients in case of famine or hibernation.

Lemurs are cute, harmless animals. In recent decades, a lot of research has been carried out that will shed light on the features of their life, so mysterious to us. Unfortunately, human activities are increasingly harming their natural environment, so taking care of the conservation of these unique animals is our direct responsibility.