Red Ruffed Lemur
Varecia rubra

The largest of Madagascar’s remaining lemurs, red ruffed lemurs are one of two species of ruffed lemurs, the other being the black-and-white ruffed lemur. With long, slender bodies, and small, fox-like faces, these lemurs get their name from the large tufts of chestnut hair in front of their ears. It is the only species of lemur to have “litters” of young and to eat a diet made up largely of fruit.

What They Eat
Red ruffed lemurs love to eat the fruit from large trees, especially figs. Up to 75% of their diet is made up of fruit. The rest consists of leaves, nectar, and flowers.

Where They Live
These lemurs spend most of their day high in the forest canopy, and prefer mature trees, from two to four feet in diameter. Red ruffed lemurs live only in the rainforests of the Masoala Peninsula in northern Madagascar, the wettest and least disturbed forests on the island.

What They Do
Unlike other lemur species, red ruffed lemurs give birth to litters of young (usually 2-3). The young are not carried by the adults, but are “parked” in nests made of leaves and twigs while the adults forage for food. Family groups are made up of 5-6 individuals.

How They’re Doing
Logging threatens the habitat of red ruffed lemurs. These primates, rare throughout their shrinking range, are also hunted for food and collected for pets.

Red Ruffed Lemur

Red ruffed lemurs enjoy stretching out their legs and sunbathing. Early natives who saw this behavior regarded them as sacred animals that worshiped the sun. This belief protected them from being hunted for hundreds of years.

Only lemurs are large enough to swallow and disperse the seeds of many of the rainforest trees. As lemur populations dwindle, so will the number of new trees growing in the forest.

The ancestors of today’s lemurs probably drifted from Africa to Madagascar on floating logs 50 million years ago and adapted to their unique environment over time.

Things you can do

A lot of everyday products come from the rainforest: tea and coffee, fruit, spices, wood products-even oil. When you shop, purchase products from companies that grow and harvest products in ways that are safe for both wildlife and people. You can help restore damaged ecosystems where you live by planting trees on land where forests have been cut down.

Your visit to the Zoo helps support our conservation programs. You can also sponsor an animal at the Zoo.

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Red Ruffed Lemur

Over 85% of Madagascar’s forests have been lost due to human disturbance. Because red ruffed lemurs depend on large fruit trees that grow in undisturbed forests, even a small loss of habitat is a large problem. Their numbers are also declining due to hunting and the pet trade.

Things the Zoo's Done/Doing

At the Minnesota Zoo, red ruffed lemurs are managed under a controlled breeding program called a Species Survival Plan. Through the coordinated efforts of North American zoos, this program works toward preserving existing lemur habitat and maintaining a healthy genetic population for the future.

Lemurs are thought to help replant some of Madagascar’s largest fruit trees by dispersing the seeds. Once lemurs swallow the fruit, the seeds pass through their body unharmed and “get planted” in a new place in the forest.

A researcher from the University of Minnesota is studying how red ruffed lemurs help restore the rainforest. Data from her research will provide park managers with scientific information so they can adopt a management strategy that includes the lemurs. The Minnesota Zoo’s support of this program has allowed a greater number of lemurs to be included in the study.