The normal gestation period is 4 to 4.5 months. Females are in estrus for less than one day, and all of the females come into estrus within 2 weeks of each other. Females usually have their first offspring at the age of 3 years and continue to produce offspring annually. Females that are well fed and healthy often have twins. The mating season is the time when the most fighting occurs.
Females fight for space and resources and males fight for reproductive access.
These fights include the infamous stink fights where males rub their tails with scents from glands in their wrists and genitals and then aim their tails at their opponents. They are not the most territorial of the lemur species. The most territorial time of year is the mating season, and the most territorial sex is the female. Ring tailed lemurs live in social groups of between 3 and 20 individuals. Females dominate this species, winning all of the fights beween the sexes.