A MOST UNUSUAL LEMUR

“Madagascar’s trademark” was how the celebrated primatologist Alison Jolly once described the ring-tailed lemur.

Indeed, to people around the world it is emblematic of the island, and today that raccoon-like bandit mask and long black-and-white tail make the perfect symbol for the Madagascar National Parks Association.

Nonetheless, the ring-tailed is far from your typical lemur. For a start, it is much the most terrestrial of its kind – spending some 33 per cent of its time on the ground – and the most sociable, forming mixed-sex groups of generally 6-24 animals. It is also the most active by day, which makes it relatively easy to observe – and, crucially, to study. Jolly, who died this February, 2014,  began researching the ring-tailed lemurs of Berenty Reserve in 1963, continuing the study for four decades.

Central to her research were communication strategies. She discovered, for example, that ring-tailed lemurs use at least 28 vocalisations, ranging from soft contact calls, such as moans and meows, to howls audible from up to 1km away that advertise a groups presence to other groups in the area. Other sounds include contented purrs during grooming, chirps given when on the move, yips uttered by subordinates in the presence of superiors, and chutters given by a dominant individual upbraiding an inferior.