Zoo Buddy: Ring-tailed lemurs!
The last population estimate from 2017 showed there were only 2,000 ring-tailed lemurs left living in the wild.
MONROE, La. (KNOE) - Meet the Louisiana Purchase Gardens and Zoo’s ring-tailed lemurs! They’re a group of young lemurs.
They’re from Madagascar and are endangered in the wild.
“They do kind of resemble cats they have cat like features they have these long muzzles and yellow eyes,” says John Hodges. “They have a wide range of vocalizations, clicks and grunts; they have alert calls as well. One thing they will do is purr like a domestic house cat.”
Somewhat like cats, they love to find the sunny spot of their island. You’ll often find them sitting on the deck with their arms outstretched to take in all that heat.
Hodges says they like fruit, especially tamarinds, in the wild. That makes up about half of their diet alone.
The tail is a huge part of them!
“They like to leap, and the tail acts like a counterbalance so they don’t fall on their faces,” explains Hodges. “But it’s also a way of signaling the rest of the troop to say here I’m right here, because while they’re walking around, it’s like a big arrow to them.”
They have scent glands on their wrists, and they’ll rub that on their tail and waft it toward others they’re trying to intimidate.
“They are non-human primates, so they’re in the primate family,” says General Curator Lisa Taylor. “They’re cousins to the primates; they’re called persimions. So they’re not a monkey, but they have the features of a monkey. These guys were the earliest primates in the world. They love to groom each other like primates in the world, but their grooming is different because they have these comb-like teeth on the bottom.”
Hodges says the last population estimate from 2017 showed there were only 2,000 of them left living in the wild, so they are an incredibly endangered species.
The zoo is projecting that construction on the new Louisiana Purchase exhibit will be finished in the spring of 2026.
While construction continues on the new Louisiana Purchase Exhibit, the Reptile Building is closed.
Until then, you can request some reptiles at educational programs or birthday parties, or you might just see one at the zoo when staff are taking them on a stroll.
Call 318-329-2400 for more information.
You can also volunteer with the zoo. Contact the Louisiana Purchase Zoological Society through their Facebook page.
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