page_title: Ruffed lemur
section_title: Taxonomic classification
hierarchical_section_title: Ruffed lemur / Evolutionary history / Taxonomic classification
caption_attribution_description: English: Ruffed lemur profiles: red ruffed lemur (Varecia rubra) on top, black-and-white ruffed lemur (Varecia variegata) on bottom.
context_page_description: The ruffed lemurs of the genus Varecia are strepsirrhine primates and the largest extant lemurs within the family Lemuridae. Like all living lemurs, they are found only on the island of Madagascar. Formerly considered to be a monotypic genus, two species are now recognized: the black-and-white ruffed lemur, with its three subspecies, and the red ruffed lemur.
  Ruffed lemurs are diurnal and arboreal quadrupeds, often observed leaping through the upper canopy of the seasonal tropical rainforests in eastern Madagascar. They are also the most frugivorous of the Malagasy lemurs, and they are very sensitive to habitat disturbance. Ruffed lemurs live in multi-male/multi-female groups and have a complex and flexible social structure, described as fission-fusion. They are highly vocal and have loud, raucous calls.
  Ruffed lemurs are seasonal breeders and highly unusual in their reproductive strategy. They are considered an "evolutionary enigma" in that they are the largest of the extant species in Lemuridae, yet exhibit reproductive traits more common in small, nocturnal lemurs, such as short gestation periods and relatively large average litter sizes.
context_section_description: The ruffed lemur genus, Varecia, is a member of the family Lemuridae. The extinct genus, Pachylemur most closely resembled the ruffed lemurs but died out after the arrival of humans. The genus Varecia contains two species, red ruffed lemurs and black-and-white ruffed lemurs, the latter having three subspecies.
  Family Lemuridae
  Genus Eulemur: true lemurs
  Genus Hapalemur: lesser bamboo lemurs
  Genus Lemur: the ring-tailed lemur
  Genus †Pachylemur
  Genus Prolemur: the greater bamboo lemur
  Genus Varecia: ruffed lemurs
  Black-and-white ruffed lemur, Varecia variegata
  Variegated black-and-white ruffed lemur, Varecia variegata variegata
  Southern black-and-white ruffed lemur, Varecia variegata editorum
  Northern black-and-white ruffed lemur, Varecia variegata subcincta
  Red ruffed lemur, Varecia rubra
caption: Color print of the two ruffed lemur species from Alfred Grandidier's L'Histoire politique, physique et naturelle de Madagascar. (1892)
exif: {"Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "44", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "4739"}