Wildlifeof Madagascar
Black-and-white Ruffed Lemur
Ring-tailed, Brown & Ruffed Lemurs
Photo: Frank Vassen · CC BY 2.0
Varecia variegata
Basic stats
Diet
Mostly fruit (about 90%), with nectar, flowers, leaves and seeds
Habitat
Tall, mature lowland and mid-altitude rainforest from sea level to about 1,300m
Range
Eastern Madagascar, along the east coast to about 19°S
Litter size
Usually 2–3 in captivity; 1–5 recorded
Gestation period
About 99–106 days
Size
Head and body about 45cm; tail 60–61cm
Weight
About 3.1–4.1kg
The black-and-white ruffed lemur is one of the two largest lemurs in the family Lemuridae, always strikingly black and white. The abdomen, tail, hands, feet, inner limbs, forehead, face and crown are black, while the sides, back, hind limbs and rump are white, and a ruff of fur frames the face. The pattern varies across its range, with more white in the south and more black in the north (Wikipedia; Mittermeier et al. 2013, general species account).
It is diurnal and spends most of its time high in the canopy, eating more fruit than any other lemur. Females are dominant over males, and the species is known for its loud, raucous group calls. Unusually, it builds nests for its young: tree nests of branches and leaves lined with the mother's fur, and litters are large for a lemur, with a short gestation of about 100 days and births from September to early November. A reintroduction project released 13 captive-born animals at Betampona between 1997 and 2001 (Wikipedia; Mittermeier et al. 2013).
On this guide it is a target species of Andasibe-Mantadia and Nosy Mangabe, where an introduced population lives on the island.
Quick answers
- What does the Black-and-white Ruffed Lemur eat?
- Mostly fruit (about 90%), with nectar, flowers, leaves and seeds
- What habitat does the Black-and-white Ruffed Lemur live in?
- Tall, mature lowland and mid-altitude rainforest from sea level to about 1,300m
- Where is the Black-and-white Ruffed Lemur found?
- Eastern Madagascar, along the east coast to about 19°S
- What is the litter size of the Black-and-white Ruffed Lemur?
- Usually 2–3 in captivity; 1–5 recorded
- How long is the gestation period of the Black-and-white Ruffed Lemur?
- About 99–106 days
- How big is the Black-and-white Ruffed Lemur?
- Head and body about 45cm; tail 60–61cm
- How much does the Black-and-white Ruffed Lemur weigh?
- About 3.1–4.1kg