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Shaka Ring Tailed Lemur (Lemur catta)
This is Shaka, a female Ring-tailed Lemur, native to the island of Madagascar, off the southeast shore of Africa. She was born in the Spring of 2011. Shaka has a birth defect in her fingers, and she cannot feed herself or grab and hold on when she climbs. She is receiving physical therapy to help her adapt and make full use of her limited motor skills.
Ring-tailed Lemurs are primates. Their soft fur is mostly gray with white on their stomach, chest and face. They have thick black rings around their yellow eyes. Their long tail has black and white bands, and their hands and feet are black.
Ring-tailed Lemurs are terrestrial but can climb well to search for food or escape predators. Their diet includes fruit, leaves, bark, tree sap and insects. They are diurnal and live in large family groups of 15-30 individuals lead by a dominant female. Young are entirely dependent upon their mother and are carried on her stomach for about 3 weeks, when they migrate to her back. Entire social groups aid in the upbringing of the young. They greet each other by tapping noses.
Lemurs are endangered due to deforestation for the timber industry. There is no legal commercial trade in lemurs or lemur-based products.
Key Facts:
| Body Length | 18 inches |
| Tail | up to 25 inches |
| Weight | 4-6 pounds |
| Gestation Period | 4.5 months |
| Litter Size: | 1-2 |
| Life Span: | 20-30 years |
| Status | Endangered |
