Ruffed lemur

Description

They have long, soft hair with a very characteristic pattern as they are black with a white ruff and the limbs white with black hands and feet. The hair around the neck is much thicker than on the rest of the body, which is where they get their name from. The nose is long and they have large eyes that give them good nocturnal vision. 

Ethology

They jump between the tree branches thanks to the shape of their limbs and tail. They are mainly crepuscular and solitary, although they prefer to sleep in groups of up to 15 individuals. They howl loudly to communicate amongst themselves. After a gestation period of about 100 days, the females give birth to 2-4 babies who are looked after in nests built in the treetops, which means the survival rates for the infants is very low. 

Interesting facts

In the latest 20 years, the populations of this species have dropped by more than 80%, due to the destruction of their habitat from agriculture, felling of trees and mining. But they are also threatened by poaching for food or use of their skins. They currently exist in Protected Natural Parks (PNP) in Madagascar, where hunting them is illegal.