Lemur

Featuring an impressive, open-air aviary teeming with African bird life, Zoo Atlanta’s Living Treehouse is home to two lemur species. Like great apes and monkeys, lemurs are primates; more specifically, they are prosimians, members of a primate suborder.

Lemurs are found only on the island of Madagascar off the southeast coast of Africa. Over half of lemur species range in classification from critically endangered to vulnerable because of habitat loss due to deforestation.

Not all lemurs live socially; among those that do, females tend to play dominant roles, taking the group’s best pick of food and mates.

Black-and-white-ruffed lemurs

Black-and-white-ruffed lemurs are among Madagascar’s larger lemurs, weighing 8 to 11 pounds. Usually found in small groups, black-and-white-ruffed lemurs communicate through scent marking and vocalization, using an array of different calls to define territory and announce the approach of predators. Grooming is an important means of cementing social bonds.

These active, arboreal animals are largely herbivorous, feeding primarily on fruit, flowers, seeds and leaves. Young are born in nests high in the trees, and twins are common. Unlike most other primates, black-and-white-ruffed lemur mothers carry their infants in their mouths through their early weeks of life.

Black-and-white-ruffed lemurs are endangered, primarily due to deforestation for lumber, fuel and agriculture.

Ring-tailed lemurs

Recognizable by their banded tails and prominent ears, Zoo Atlanta’s ring-tailed lemurs can be seen exploring the ground more frequently than their black-and-white-ruffed neighbors do. Like black-and-white ruffed lemurs, ring-tailed lemurs communicate using scent and distinct vocalizations. They also use their tails: when carried erect, these serve as visual signals for other group members.

Wild ring-tailed lemurs consume a diverse assortment of plant species, using rain and dew as their primary water supply. Like great ape babies, ring-tailed infants cling to their mothers’ bellies until they are strong enough to ride on their backs.

Although they are more numerous in the wild than black-and-white-ruffed lemurs, ring-tailed lemurs are still highly vulnerable to habitat loss by logging and agriculture.