Ruffs spend the most time in trees and eat the most fruits of all large lemurs. They also snack on leaves, shoots, seeds, nectar and may even eat soil. Females form the core of the group and defend the territory. They are usually larger than the males. Black and White Ruffs have been found in monogamous pairs, or in larger groups of 5-16.
Females are particularly defensive of territory.
Larger groups form during the wet season as the lemurs gather at fruiting trees, which break up into smaller groups during the dry season. They can travel up to 2km a day looking for food. Like other primates, social bonds and position is reinforced by grooming. 6 to 12 different alarm calls have been noted. They also have an all-clear call, a cohesion call and make explosive roars to mob intruders.