S. America Ring-tailed Lemur Lemur catta Range Southern end of the island of Madagascar. Habitat Scrub, spiny desert, dry and gallery forest. Characteristics Ringtails get their name from their conspicious black and white banded tail. They have gray to brown back, white underparts, a white face with dark brown triangular eye patch, and white ears. However, ringtails are more terrestrial than any of the other lemurs.
Females are extremely dominant and win all disputes with males.
Males have stink fights in which they face each other and wave their tails, which have been rubbed on their strong smelling wrist glands. Different calls are made to define territorial boundaries, sound alarms, warn of aerial predators and terrestrial predators. Mating season is mid-April. Infants are carried ventrally for the first 2 weeks, and then later on the back. Lifespan 27 years.