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Red ruffed lemur
Our family of red ruffed lemurs live in Lemur Wood: adults Iggy and Tack and their daughter Mena.
Red ruffed lemurs are one of the largest of the lemur species. They also have one of the loudest alarm calls, which they use to warn each other of potential threats.
Class:
Mammals
Order:
Primates
Family:
Lemuridae
About the red ruffed lemur
Like all lemurs, red ruffeds are native to Madagascar. Specifically, the tropical forests of the Masoala Peninsula in Northeastern Madagascar.
They are herbivores, with a diet of fruit, pollen, seeds, flowers and leaves.
After a gestation period of around 90 days, a female can give birth to up to six offspring, although broods of two or three infants are more common.
Conservation
Red ruffed lemurs are Critically Endangered, partly due to their small population and native range. Deforestation for illegal logging continues to be a huge threat. The Masoala National Park was created in 1997 to help conserve the species, but some red ruffed lemurs live outside of the park’s boundaries and so are not protected.
Several zoos across Europe work together in caring for and breeding captive red ruffed lemurs. Our red ruffed lemurs are part of the EAZA ex-situ breeding programme (EEP) for the species.