The fur is long and soft, and the ears are hidden by a ruff of hair. The color pattern varies and may be different on the right and left sides of a specimen. The Ruffed lemur lives in eastern Madagascar. It is a forest species found in humid rain forests. Black and white ruffed lemurs live in groups of two to five individuals, thought to be an adult mated pair and their young.
Greetings are very ceremonious involving reciprocal grooming.
They mark their territory by screaming and by scent. They rub leaves, branches or fruit with their palms to leave a distinctive odor. During the day the Ruffed lemur sleeps in a hollow tree curled up into a ball. It is a nimble climber, most active at dusk and during the first part of the night, when it forages for fruit. It normally progresses by walking or running on larger branches, and leaps from tree to tree.