Black-and-White Ruffed Lemurs
at Audubon Zoo
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Meet Black-and-White Ruffed Lemurs at Audubon Zoo
The island nation of Madagascar, off the east coast of Africa, is home to all the world’s lemurs. You don’t have to travel that far to see Black-and-White Ruffed Lemurs, though. Visit them right here at Audubon Zoo!
Black-and-White Ruffed Lemur Fast Facts
- Conservation Status: Critically Endangered – extremely high risk of extinction
- Habitat/Range: Rainforest canopy in eastern Madagascar
- Diet: Herbivore – fruit, leaves, seeds
- Size: 1.5-2 ft. long; 6.5-9 lbs.
- Lifespan: 19 years in the wild; up to 36 years in human care
- Social Structure: Female-dominated family groups
- Fun Fact: Ruffed lemurs are the only lemurs known to build nests for their infants.
See Us at the Zoo
Audubon Zoo is home to an active family of Black-and-White Ruffed Lemurs. Look and listen for them while visiting World of Primates.
Lemurs are native only to the island nation of Madagascar.
Black-and-white ruffed lemurs are the largest of all lemurs.
Lemurs are the most threatened group of mammals on the planet.
It is hypothesized that ancestors of today’s lemurs rafted from mainland Africa to Madagascar.
Black-and-White Ruffed Lemur Habitat & Range
Black-and-white ruffed lemurs live in mature rainforest in eastern Madagascar.
Learn More About Black-and-White Ruffed Lemur Habitat & Range
Historic vs. Current Range
Habitat
Black-and-White Ruffed Lemur Behavior
Black-and-white ruffed lemurs are treetop specialists. They rarely descend to the ground, preferring to feed, sleep, and socialize high in the overhead canopy.
Learn More About Black-and-White Lemur Behavior
Feeding & Resting
Black-and-white ruffed lemurs live in female-dominated groups. They move through the trees during the day, foraging for fruit. They are considered the most frugivorous of all lemurs. They supplement their fruit diet with small amounts of leaves and seeds, which are consumed primarily during the dry season. While resting, ruffed lemurs often groom each other, which promotes comfort and good hygiene and also reinforces social bonds.
Sounding Off
These lemurs, like most, are highly vocal. Their calls can be heard up to half a mile away. They vocalize to send all sorts of messages, including “found some food!” or “back off!” or “danger!” They will warn each other of predators approaching, including the weasel-like fossa from below and raptors from above. They will also mob and yell at intruders encroaching on their territory. If one member of a group sounds an alarm, the rest of the group will echo it throughout the forest.
Nesting in the Trees
Female black-and-white ruffed lemurs give birth to litters of 1 to 6 offspring once a year. At birth, the baby lemurs are tiny and helpless. Ruffed lemur mothers make nests in the treetops and carry their infants from nest to nest in their mouths, like a cat carrying kittens, until they are strong enough to cling to her. She starts moving her offspring between nests at about two weeks of age. She “parks” them in the nest, where they stay safely hidden, while she forages and eats.
All in the Family
After about six weeks, males start interacting with their offspring, and each family stays together as a group. Some ruffed lemur parents will allow other adults to “babysit” their offspring, while others will go it alone. Young black-and-white ruffed lemurs start following their parents by 3 months of age, are fully weaned by 8 months, and become increasingly independent after that.
Black-and-White Ruffed Lemur Conservation
Lemurs have thrived in the forests of Madagascar for at least 50 million years, but they are now among the most endangered animals on Earth. What can be done to save lemurs from extinction?
Learn More About Black-and-White Ruffed Lemur Conservation
Threats
The plight of most lemurs, including black-and-white ruffed lemurs, is due to human activity. Black-and-white ruffed lemurs are losing their rainforest habitat to logging, mining, and slash-and-burn agricultural practices. Black-and-white ruffed lemurs are also vulnerable to illegal poaching. Poachers use logging roads to easily penetrate the lemurs’ rainforest habitat.
Conservation Efforts
Black-and-white ruffed lemurs are critically endangered, which means that they are at extremely high risk of going extinct in the wild under current conditions. If the species is to survive long-term, it is essential to maintain a healthy and genetically viable assurance population in zoos and other conservation havens around the world. Audubon Zoo participates in the AZA’s Species Survival Plan (SSP) for this species. .
Black-and-White Ruffed Lemur FAQs
Where can I see the Black-and-White Ruffed Lemurs at Audubon Zoo?
You can see our family of black-and-white ruffed lemurs in World of Primates at Audubon Zoo.
Check the Zoo map or download the Zoo app to use the interactive map and easily locate their habitat during your visit.
Are the Black-and-White Ruffed Lemurs part of any conservation program?
Audubon Zoo’s adult pair of black-and-white ruffed lemurs are successful parents that have been recommended to breed by the AZA’s Species Survival Plan for this species. SSPs are a collaborative effort between AZA-accredited zoos to maintain healthy, genetically diverse, and stable populations of animals for the future.
What do the Black-and-White Ruffed Lemurs eat at the Zoo?
The Black-and-White Ruffed Lemurs at the Zoo eat leafy greens, vegetables, fruit, and specially formulated primate “biscuits.”
How many baby ruffed lemurs have been born at Audubon Zoo?
So far, seven-year-old “Masiaka” and 18-year-old “Gascar” have welcomed four offspring. Masiaka gave birth to her first set of twins – a male and a female – in 2023 and her second set of twins – two males – in 2024.
Updated December 2025
