Ring-tailed Lemur (Lemur catta) Fact Sheet: Distribution & Habitat

South and southwest Madagascar

• Northern and eastern boundaries
  • Range roughly coincides with the Mangoky River
    • Including the following towns: Morondava, Ambalavao, and Tolagnaro
• The southwestern boundary
  • Bound by the coast
• Range extends into the interior highlands
  • Farther than other lemurs
• Isolated populations along eastern border
  • Possibly a different subspecies
  • Inhabit region with an elevation > 2,500 m (8,202 ft), in the Madagascar Parc National d’Andringitra

Forest inhabitants

• Prefer dense euphorbia and riparian forests
• Remain primarily within the forest areas; sighted in semi-arid areas far from the forests
• Other regions (from Andriaholinirina et al. 2014)
• Gallery, littoral, and dry deciduous forest
• Spiny bush
• Brush and scrub
• High-altitude, ericoid bush
• Rocky outcrop vegetation
• Ecologically flexible (from Andriaholinirina et al. 2014)
• Encounters the most extreme climatic conditions on Madagascar
• Ranges from the hottest and driest regions to the coldest
• Capable of colonizing diverse range of habitats
• Inhabit various vegetation types, elevational ranges, and climatic regimes
• Take advantage of a diverse array of food
• Water does not seem to constrain distribution

Elevation

• Mostly found at lower elevations
• Range
• 0-2,500 m
• Found above tree line (>2,500 m) in an area characterized by subalpine vegetation and rocky outcrops

Ring-tailed lemur distribution (Lemur catta).

Adapted from www.d-maps.com according to IUCN fact sheet. Click here or on map for detailed distribution (IUCN)

Andriaholinirina et al. (2014)
Goodman and Langrand (1996)
Yoder et al. (2000)