News & Media
March 30 2006 New Lemurs Swing Into Phoenix Zoo
Contact: Aimee Yamamori, Director of Media and Public Relations, Phoenix Zoo
(602) 914-4305 or pager (602) 223-8222
Date: March 30, 2006
NEW LEMURS SWING IN TO PHOENIX ZOO
The Phoenix Zoo is pleased to introduce visitors to six Red-ruffed lemurs, a new species to make their home at the Zoo. The lemurs, which are part of the primate family, have just been introduced together this week and are settling into their island habitat of the Zoo's main lake.
The new lemur family includes an adult male (9 years old) and female (15 years old) and their four adult offspring of two males and two females(all four years old). The lemurs came to the Phoenix Zoo from Zoo Atlanta. The red-ruffed lemurs are found only on the island of Madagascar and are not a 'typical' primate species, such as an orangutan or chimpanzee, and look more like a cat crossed with a squirrel. The word 'lemur' means 'night wandering ghost' and refers to their nocturnal habits and stealthy, quiet step.
Red-ruffed lemurs weigh 7-10 pounds and measure between 1 ½ to 2 feet in length. They are an attractive lemur species and have a soft, thick, orange-red coat and a black head with a ruff of reddish hair around it. The lemur is a forest dweller and their diet consists primarily of fruit as well as leaves, flowers, and seeds. These lemurs spend most of their days feeding, traveling and resting high in the trees of the forest.
Red ruffed lemurs
In red-ruffed lemur families, the females are dominant. They will often form larger groups in the rainy season when food is plentiful. These lemurs have an elaborate system of calls that alert a group to dangers. As many as 12 different calls have been recorded by scientists, and they seem to vary based on the nature of the danger.
Red-ruffed lemurs are critically endangered in the wild due to deforestation, hunting and trapping. Some estimates suggest that fewer than 1, 000 animals remain in Madagascar. Lemurs can live 15-20 years in the wild and longer in captivity.
The Zoo's new lemur family can been seen on their island exhibit opposite the flamingo exhibit at the Phoenix Zoo. The Zoo is located at 455 N. Galvin Parkway in Papago Park. For more information, visit phoenixzoo.org.
