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Welcome to our Screening Room!Learn about the animated antics of the black & white ruffed lemurs and ringtail lemurs that reside at Safari West just north of San Francisco. Wildlife & Animal Documentaries Unleashed has fun with creating fictional stories based on fact about these playful primates.(Flash Video hosted by Google.com- this is a large file requiring broadband.) Find out more about WADU (Wildlife & Animal Documentaries Unleashed) LEMURS: RING-TAILED AND BLACK & WHITE RUFFEDWorking with the lemurs was like trying to direct very athletic kindergarteners who enjoyed climbing on me and all of my equipment. Like all primates, including people, lemurs are extremely curious, even nosey. I could picture them participating in a lemurian version of a dating game like "The Bachelorette". The male contestants would compete for the second-in-command position of the troop (group of lemurs), including breeding rights and second dibs on all the food gathered. The troop leader is the alpha female, who would select her mate before the other females. Lemurs are about the size of a muppet, and very cute and cuddly looking, however, they are not made to be pets since they are wild, bite, and poop A LOT. They range in size from 18-22 inches and weigh about 6-10 lbs.. Ring-tailed lemurs are omnivores (like people); black and white ruffed lemurs are vegetarians. Both types of lemurs seek refuge from potential predators, primarily birds of prey, in the tree tops of Madagascar (an island off of the coast of Africa). The undigested seeds that they drop in their feces helps fertilize the soil. Unfortunately, the rain forests that they inhabit also hosts the popular vanilla trees, so when these trees are cut down, so too are the homes of these endangered primates. Their endangered status and tree-dwelling lifestyle, have led to their name which means "ghost" since lemurs are seldom seen by people in wild. However, their presence is felt in a number of other ways. The black and white ruffed lemurs are very vocal and can be heard sending shouts out to the other members of their troop and marking their territory through their vocalization. The ring-tailed lemurs are not quite as noisy, however, they do leave a distinctive odor behind that rivals a skunk. The males emit an odor when they participate in a stink fight. The smelliest stinker wins. This is their non violent way of resolving disputes within the troop. Major issues like where to set up camp, what to eat, when to breed, etc. is decided by the troop leader, the alpha female. Ring-tailed and black and white ruffed lemurs are popular ambassadors at zoos because of their animated nature. Personally, I always get a kick out of watching them store heat for the rest of the day in the natural thermals they have in their chest. They can be seen sunbathing in a lotus looking yoga pose from sun up until they heat up. This information is the product of my interview with wildlife keeper, Rebecca Shupp at Safari West Wildlife Preserve. Here are some other websites to check out to learn more about these playful primates and how you can help increase their survival rate:www.earthwatch.org www.lemurs.com www.lemurreserve.org www.worldwildlife.org www.primaterescue.org Meet the Lemurs in-person at Safari West Wildlife Preserve Back to Screening Directory |
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