Black-and-White Ruffed Lemur
Varecia variegata
- Habitat: Coastal tropical rainforest
- Range: Eastern Madagascar
- Natural Diet: Fruits, leaves, flowers, seeds, nectar
- Status in the Wild: THREATENED
Lemurs are provided with popsicles as enrichment by the Animal Care staff
Fun facts
- Black and white ruffed lemurs are black in color and they are excellent pollinators
- Females are in charge of their social groups
- They are one of the largest living species of lemurs
- They use their tails to balance when they climb
- Their body color helps camouflage and hide them from their predators
They are highly arboreal climbing and resting on elevated platforms and tree branches in their exhibit
Conservation Threats
The major threats are:
- Habitat loss, some agricultural practices, and logging trees for firewood.
- Illegal hunting also has a detrimental influence on wild numbers
They are endemic to the tropical rainforest habitat found in fragmented pockets along the eastern portion of Madagascar