Chez – Lemur

Chez is a male ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta), born in 2006. Chez came to us from a colony at another facility because he suffered an eye injury. Due to his injury being inoperable, he can no longer live in a colony, and now resides at the Foundation with his enclosure mate, Lulu. He is pain free and his eye does not cause him any issues at the Foundation.

The ring-tailed lemur is a primate and the most recognized lemur due to its long, bushy tail with alternating black and white rings. Their dense fur is mostly gray with white on their stomach, chest and face. They have thick black rings around their yellow eyes and their paws are all black. Both male and female ring-tailed lemurs have scent glands which they use to mark their territory. Their tails are not prehensile, instead it is only used for balance, communication, and group cohesion. They are terrestrial but are great climbers allowing them to search for food and escape predators. Their diet includes fruit, leaves, bark, tree sap, and insects. The ring-tailed lemur is one of the most vocal primates and they use numerous vocalizations including alarm calls and group cohesion.

Ring-tailed lemurs are highly social animals and live in large family groups of 6-30 individuals, called a troop. The troop is led by a dominant female and often have multiple breeding females. Mating season begins in mid-April and the young are born between August and September. The young are entirely dependent upon their mother and are carried on her stomach for about three weeks, before they migrate to her back. The entire social group aids in the upbringing of the young.

The ring-tailed lemur is only found in the southern part of Madagascar, in the dry forest and bush. The ring-tailed lemur is endangered due to habitat destruction and hunting for meat and the exotic pet trade.

Lemur Statistics: