Ring-tailed lemur
The ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta) is a primate from the group of lemurs (Lemuriformes). It lives in the dry regions of southwest Madagascar.
| Ring tailed lemur | |
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| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Order: | Primates |
| Family: | Lemuridae |
| Genus: | Lemur Linnaeus, 1758 |
| Species: | L. catta
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| Binomial name | |
| Lemur catta | |
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| Distribution of Lemur catta | |
| Synonyms | |
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Genus:[1]
Species:[1]
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This lemur weighs between 2 to 3.5 kilograms (4.4 to 7.7 lb). It can live up to 20 years. [2] It is a mid-sized lemur. The striped tail makes it easy to recognize. Its behaviour is somewhat unusual for lemurs: it is active during the day, and spends much time on the ground. Ring-tailed lemurs live in groups of 12 to 15 animals. Each group is led by a female. Ring-tailed lemurs eat both meat and plants, but they mainly eat fruit. They live only in Madagascar. The main threats to ring-tailed lemurs are destroying the places where it lives and hunting.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Tattersall 1982, pp. 43–46.
- ↑ Hannover Zoo: Ring-tailed lemur Archived 2012-07-13 at the Wayback Machine, viewed 2012-12-06
Notes
- ↑ The genus name Prosimia was declared unavailable by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature in 1998.
- ↑ Type species was designated as Catta mococo (= Lemur catta Linnaeus, 1758).
- ↑ Type species was designated as Maki mococo (= Lemur catta Linnaeus, 1758).[1]
- ↑ The synonym Mococo is sometimes omitted because it was technically a vernacular term for the genus Prosimia.[1] René Primevère Lesson named the type species for this genus as Prosimia catta (= Lemur catta Linnaeus, 1758) in the same year (1878).
- ↑ Muirhead (1819) credited the name Maki mococo to Anselme Gaëtan Desmarest (1817), although it was actually used as a vernacular name.[1]