Coats consist of rusty red fur with a white patch on the back of the neck. Stomach, tail, forehead and inside of limbs are black. Red ruffed lemurs breed during the months of May, June and July with infants born approximately 3 months later. Ruffed lemurs are the only primates to have litters of offspring, and can produce up to 6 infants in one litter.
Females possess six mammary glands and can, therefore, nurse all offspring simultaneously.
Females do not carry their offspring on their stomachs or backs like most primates, but rather leave their litters in nests of leaves while they forage alone. Red ruffed lemurs are usually found in small groups of between 2 and 5 individuals. All group members use a common home range, and groups are occasionally aggressive towards other groups at the borders of these territories. Social bonds are established and reinforced by grooming. Prosimians, in general, cannot manipulate their fingers well enough to use them for grooming like most monkeys and apes do.