Red Ruffed Lemur, Varecia rubra
RED-RUFFED LEMUR
Varecia rubra
Geographic Distribution and Habitat
The red ruffed lemur, like all lemurs, is native to the island nation of Madagascar off of Africa’s southeast coast. They are found only in the Masoala Peninsula, which includes Masoala National Park—Madagascar’s largest protected area—and the region immediately north of the Bay of Antongil, in northeastern Madagascar. Within this limited range, they live in the canopy of tall trees within the peninsula’s deciduous tropical lowland rainforests.
Size, Weight, and Lifespan
Red ruffed lemurs are the largest members of the two-genus family, Lemuridae. They weigh between 7.3-7.9 pounds (3.3-3.6 kg), and are around 21 inches (53 cm) long, along with a tail measuring 24 inches (60 cm). Females are larger than males, which is an example of sexual dimorphism, in which there are noticeable physical differences between genders.
Their lifespan in the wild ranges from 15-20 years.
Appearance
As evident by their name, the thick, fluffy coat of the red ruffed lemur is predominantly rusty-red colored, including a ruff around the neck reminiscent of Elizabethan and Jacobean England (WAAAAY before your time and mine.) Otherwise, the fur on the forehead, stomach, tail, and inside of the limbs is black, and a white patch can be found on the back of the neck. Their hands and feet may also sport some white coloration, and their soft, broad fingers with flat nails aid in grasping and grooming. They have striking and expressive yellow eyes, and the thick, bushy tail is non-prehensile, meaning it is not used for grabbing or grasping, but rather, for balance when climbing or leaping amongst the trees.
Like other lemurs, the red ruffed lemur has a tooth comb comprised of six of the bottom teeth, which is used for grooming. In addition to grooming others, the red ruffed lemur also self-grooms using a long claw on the second toe.
Diet
The red ruffed lemur is primarily frugivorous, or fruit-eating, with fruit making up to 90% of the diet. They otherwise have been observed consuming mature leaves (1-18%), young leaves (3%), and flowers (5-6%). The red ruffed lemur is able to successfully drink nectar, as the long snout fits into flowers without causing damage.
When fruit is scarce, leaves and seeds may be consumed.
Behavior and Lifestyle
The red ruffed lemur is diurnal, active during daylight hours, and arboreal, preferring to spend their time in the trees. They move around in the trees primarily quadrupedally (on all fours), leaping when necessary, clinging vertically, and when feeding, they may hang by their hind feet.
Their daily activity budget varies based on the season, gender, and reproductive stage, but according to one resource, typically consists of resting (53%), foraging (28%), and traveling (19%). While no percentage was given, social activity such as grooming is another way in which these lemurs spend their time, given their preference for living in groups. They are most active during the early morning and the evening.
Red ruffed lemurs sleep within the canopy and construct shallow, dish-shaped nests for sheltering their babies while the adults are out foraging during the day.
Predators of the red ruffed lemur include fossas, birds of prey, boa constrictors, and humans. They avoid predators by using a repertoire of alarm calls and by sleeping in groups. Red ruffed lemurs have also been known to chase potential predators in order to protect their young, as well as to distract them from the nests that hold the young.
Calls—Loud, Proud, and Smart: Despite not encountering venomous snakes in the wild, red ruffed lemurs housed at the Duke Lemur Center in North Carolina have developed an alarm call for the venomous copperhead snakes which can be found in the area. They also understand the alarm calls of the black-and-white ruffed lemur (V. variegata), which are found in a different part of Madagascar.
Groups of red ruffed lemurs consist of multiple members of both genders and are matriarchal, or female-dominated (girl power!) Red ruffed lemur groups also have a variable social system that changes depending on the season and quality of the habitat. In some areas, red ruffed lemurs may be found in small groups of two to five individuals, with a home range of around 60 acres (25 ha). In other areas, loose affiliations of between 18 and 32 individuals occupy home ranges of around 150 acres (60 ha). According to the Duke Lemur Center, all group members use a “common core home range”, and groups are occasionally aggressive toward others at territorial boundaries. There is also a strong relationship between the location of home ranges and that of the largest fruiting trees in the area. Red ruffed lemurs, like their black and white cousins, will form larger groups during the wet season when food is plentiful, and disperse into smaller groups during the dry season in search of scarcer fruit, a social process known as “fission-fusion”. When fruit foraging, large groups may fragment completely as individuals go their separate ways, a striking contrast to other diurnal lemurs, who always forage and move through the forest together as cohesive groups.
Despite the vast amount of interesting information regarding the group dynamics of red ruffed lemurs, there is very limited, if any, information regarding whether members of one or both genders leave or stay in a group once they reach maturity. More research is needed regarding this matter.
Red ruffed lemurs travel about 0.75 miles (1.2 km) through the rainforest each day to forage. While foraging, mothers often “park” their babies in nests made of twigs, leaves, vines, and fur that are 33–66 feet (10–20 m) off the ground, as opposed to carrying them around on their backs like other primates.
Red ruffed lemurs have been seen feeding in the same trees as white-fronted lemurs (Eulemur albifrons) during times of plenty. However, when food is scarce, they will chase the white-fronted lemurs away from the feeding trees.
Both ruffed lemur species (the other being the black-and-white ruffed lemur) are among the most vocal among non-human primates. Their 12 types of raucous, barking vocalizations serve several purposes: they allow distant members of the same group to maintain contact with one another even when foraging separately; they maintain territorial boundaries between neighboring groups; and they alert group members to the presence of both terrestrial and aerial predators. One individual red ruffed lemur can set off an alarm call that will alert even the farthest-ranging group members. If it wasn’t already obvious, they are LOUD, and their vocalizations can be heard for miles!
Red ruffed lemurs also engage in grooming one another not only to maintain hygiene but also to maintain social bonds between group members.
Although red ruffed lemurs are mostly polygamous, that is, having more than one mate, some studies have documented monogamous pairs, in which one male mates with one female. Males within a group more frequently breed with females from the same group. However, males from other groups may also enter a group’s territory to try their luck at mating with receptive females.
Red ruffed lemurs reach sexual maturity at around two years of age and begin reproducing at around three years of age. They breed once a year. Males keenly monitor females for signs that she is receptive, and then do their best to entice females into breeding. The males’ mating “playbook” includes submissively approaching the female, coupled with calling greetings, and wooing her with scent marking. Given their domineering status within the group, females get to choose their mate(s).
The breeding season coincides with the end of the dry season, May through July. This fixed season is deliberate in order that the young may be born during the wet season when food is readily available.
After a gestation period of around 100 days, females give birth in a nest to two or three infants, but six infants is not out of the question. Although they are born with fur and able to see, red ruffed lemurs are not as well-developed at birth as other lemur species who have longer gestation periods. For example, infant red ruffed lemurs are unable to cling to their mother, forcing Mom to pick up her babies one by one with her mouth when she needs to move them. This is also why she must “park” her infants in nests while foraging during the day. A mother usually remains with her babies during the first few days of their lives. However, if she must leave the nest, Dad guards them. Other group members might help her out by babysitting her young while she travels through the forest. Shared infant care, or alloparenting, is commonly practiced in red ruffed lemur groups. Despite the babysitting skills of the group, approximately 65% of young do not reach three months of age; many of them die by falling from trees to the forest floor. Those who survive develop rapidly. They begin moving around and start following Mom at roughly one month of age, and are considered weaned from Mom’s milk at four months of age.
As most of their diet consists of fruit and seeds, the red ruffed lemur aids in the regeneration of the forest habitat by dispersing seeds through their feces as they move around. They additionally play a role in pollination. Like bees and butterflies, they collect pollen from flowers while drinking nectar. They then deposit the pollen on each flower they visit, thereby pollinating the plants. Finally, as a prey species, they also play a role in feeding local predators within their habitat.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists the red ruffed lemur as Critically Endangered (IUCN, 2018), appearing on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
The principal threats facing the red ruffed lemur are habitat loss and illegal hunting by humans for local and national bushmeat and the pet trade. The red ruffed lemur’s range has been heavily affected by frequent cyclones, as well as deforestation. This practice is primarily for creating agricultural land and collecting timber and non-timber forest products, as well as for the illegal commercial collection of hardwoods species. The red ruffed lemur is also a preferred target for hunters and is widely hunted across their range, primarily due to the low food security in the region.
Over the next 24 years, the red ruffed lemur population is expected to be reduced by up to 80%.
The red ruffed lemur is listed in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), an international agreement between governments whose goal is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.
The red ruffed lemur is protected officially only within the Masoala National Park and the Makira Protected Area. However, Masoala was the national park most heavily impacted by the very rapid upsurge of illegal logging after political events of early 2009. As of 2009, there were 590 red ruffed lemurs reported in captivity worldwide. Such populations in American and European zoos represent a safeguard against extinction but they are, unfortunately, very limited in their genetic diversity.
Conservation actions needed include increased regulation and management of illegal logging and hunting within the range of the red ruffed lemur, along with further site/area, land, and water management. Creating an economic and viable substitute for the red ruffed lemur with regard to the species’ human hunters is also critically needed if both the lemur and human citizens of Madagascar are to live in harmony. Additional research on the red ruffed lemur’s population size, distribution, and trends, as well as their life history and ecology, coupled with the establishment of a species action/recovery plan, and further monitoring of the lemur’s population, habitat, and harvest level trends are all necessary if this gorgeous species stands a chance of avoiding the looming specter of extinction.
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Written by Sienna Weinstein, December 2024