Lemur catta

The head and body length of the ring-tailed lemur is about 30-45 cm, the tail length is 40-50 cm, and the weight is about 2 kg. It has a small head, a low forehead, large ears, and a lot of hair on both ears. The sides of the head are also covered with long hair. The snout is long and protruding, and the lower incisors are comb-shaped, making the whole face look like a fox, so it is called a lemur. But its body is more like a monkey, with light gray-brown hair on the back of the body and gray-white belly. The forehead, back of the ears and cheeks are white, which forms a sharp contrast with the black snout and eye circles, which is very interesting. In particular, the long tail with 11-12 black and white rings is its unique feature and can be easily distinguished from other lemurs.
Ring-tailed lemurs are one of the most vocal primates. They use a variety of vocalization methods to gather groups and alarm. The skin of the ring-tailed lemur is dark gray or black, which can be clearly

It is mainly distributed in the dry forests and jungles in the south and southwest of Madagascar, and in the provinces of Dulia and Fianarantsoa. ​​It lives in the relatively dry open forest rocky areas. The mountains on the east coast of Madagascar block the humid sea breeze from the Indian Ocean. Some plants in the forest have thick branches, some have small leaves, or are covered with rows of thorns to adapt to the dry climate. In the areas where ring-tailed lemurs live, there are often water sources, which form rich plant communities nearby, which are called "forest corridors."

Remember "King Julien" in "Madagascar"? Its prototype is a lemur. The ring-tailed lemur, as the name implies, has a "ring" on its tail, and the black and white color makes it particularly easy to remember.

Many of you may have seen the scene of ring-tailed lemurs jumping sideways in African animal documentaries. This way of walking is extremely unique. In fact, ring-tailed lemurs not only jump sideways, but also walk in a similar way to macaques when they walk slowly. When they are frightened and need to run quickly, they will jump forward quickly, so this lemur has at least three ways of walking.

Ring-tailed lemurs belong to the Lemuridae family of the subfamily Prosimianae of the order Primates. They are a relatively primitive monkey. The biggest difference between lemurs and other monkeys is that most of them have scent glands, which means that they will attack with odor like skunks, and the location of their scent glands is very strange. Most mammals with scent glands have their scent glands located in the buttocks, but the scent glands of ring-tailed lemurs are distributed on the inside of the wrist joint, armpits and anus.

Moreover, this scent gland is very important to the ring-tailed lemur. Not only will it be used as a mark to divide the territory, but it will also be used to defend against enemies. When encountering danger, the ring-tailed lemur will rub the scent gland with its big tail to quickly evaporate the odor into the air. When fighting, it will also use its tail to hit the opponent and smear the stinky liquid on the opponent. Many people do not understand this trick of the ring-tailed lemur, so when teasing it, it will often make it smell bad. Although it is not very harmful, it is very insulting.

Ring-tailed lemurs also have a strange habit. Every morning after the sun rises, they will face the sun to "meditate". They sit on the ground with their legs crossed, and their hands are placed on their knees. They face the sun and do not move, just like an "old monk in meditation". The warm sunlight shines on their necks, chests, abdomens, arms and inner thighs, as if they are a devout "sun worshiper". Therefore, this kind of monkey is often called "monk monkey" or "monk monkey". But in fact, it is because the temperature drops at night, and their abdomen fur is thin and easy to get cold. After the sun comes out, they rely on the heat of the sun to warm up their abdomen and other parts.

Ring-tailed lemurs spread seeds through feces and contribute to the ecosystem. Like other types of lemurs, wildlife reserves have been established because of them. These reserves help protect the environment of all other animal and plant species in the area. They also serve as a food source for the Malvinas and Civets in the food web.

Although ring-tailed lemurs can be easily bred in zoos around the world and have become the most numerous lemurs in the world, wild ring-tailed lemurs are listed as endangered species on the IUCN Red List due to habitat destruction and poaching. By early 2017, the number of wild ring-tailed lemurs had dropped to 2,000 due to habitat loss, poaching and hunting, making them even more endangered.