It is the largest of the True Lemurs. It may be hard to believe but the black and white patches actually provide good camouflage in the dark shadowy forest. It's quite difficult to spot them if they don't want to be seen, even in the Fragile Forest exhibit. Black and White Ruffs from different parts of Madagascar often have different patterns of patches, and the pattern on their left and right sides are not always the same. The thick soft woolly fur keeps them warm and dry even in heavy rain.
Ruffs are among the largest of all living lemurs.
Females mature at 20 months. The dominant female defends the group and leads. Duke Primate Centre has a map of their distribution. The Ruffed Lemurs are in their own genus Varecia separate from the other Eulemurs because of their unique reproductive behaviour. The tail is not prehensile, the lemur can't hang from its tail like a spider monkey does.