The ring-tailed lemur is a larger primate found in the dry forests of Southern Madagascar. It is distinguished by its brownish-grey fur, and tail with black and white rings.
Typically, these are highly social creatures that live in groups of around 20 individuals. Unlike others in their family, ring-tailed lemurs can tolerate extreme environments – like the hottest, driest and the coldest climates in Madagascar.
But what is not-so-interesting about ring-tailed lemurs is their population. With the number falling to less than 2000 in the wild, they have been categorized as endangered by the IUCN Red List.
The main threat facing them is habitat destruction. Reports suggest that much of their habitat is converted to agricultural farmlands, or harvested for charcoal production. Then there are as well dangers of hunting for food and pet trade.
However, lemurs are very well bred in captivity. It is said that over a 1000 can be found across 140 zoos in the world.
Picture credit: google