![Ring-tailed lemurs are found in Madagascar [Image: Pixabay]](https://staticr1.blastingcdn.com/media/photogallery/2017/8/2/660x290/b_502x220x82/ring-tailed-lemurs-are-found-in-madagascar-image-pixabay_1483153.jpg "Ring-tailed lemurs are found in Madagascar [Image: Pixabay]")
The animal care staff at Cincinnati Zoo is full of joy these days following the birth of three ring-tailed lemur Babies. These baby lemurs were born from two different mothers. On Friday, 5-year-old Izzie gave birth to a single lemur, and three days later, 3-year-old Willow gave birth to twins.
This is the first instance of baby lemur birth at the Cincinnati Zoo in the past 30 years. Dad Ivan is taking good care of the new-born babies, and the whole family can be seen happy in their habitat at the Zoo.
They are characterized by a long, striped tail
Ring-tailed lemurs are usually found in Madagascar and some other neighboring islands. They are characterized by a long, black-and-white, striped tail. These animals can move quickly through the trees using their hands and feet. However, they can’t use their tails to make a grip. Males and females are very much similar physically, measuring about 1.4 feet from head to rump. They are very social animals and prefer to live in groups.
Females play dominant roles, and there are often multiple breeding females in a group. A female usually gives birth to one baby in a year, although twins are also born sometimes. A new-born baby weighs less than 100 g.
The mother carries it on her chest for the first 1 to 2 weeks.
The baby lemur starts moving on its own after being about two weeks of age. It also starts consuming solid food at that time. Ring-tailed lemurs— despite being good climbers—spend a good amount of time on the ground in search of food. Their diet includes flowers, leaves, bark, and small invertebrates.
Their population in the Cincinnati zoo now goes up to six
IUCN Red List classifies ring-tailed lemurs as an endangered species. In the past two decades, their numbers have declined quickly because of bushmeat trade and habitat destruction. A large part of their habitats has either been converted into farmland or destroyed for the production of charcoal.
Efforts are now being made to protect these animals through breeding programs in a zoo. They are also doing comparatively well in captivity simply because they can live for about 30 years in captivity compared to 20 years of life in the wilds.
In Cincinnati Zoo, two female ring-tailed lemurs had arrived in 2016 following a breeding recommendation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan. Following the birth of three new babies, the number of these animals in the Cincinnati zoo has gone up to six.
