Ring-tailed Lemur (Lemur catta) Fact Sheet: Reproduction & Development

Mating Behavior

• Males compete with one another for females (from Mittermeier et al. 2010)
• Chase one another and perform stink and jump battles
• Stink fights are ritualized behaviors
• Males waive wrist and shoulder glands at one another
• Males leap into the air; each opponent attempts to slash the other with its upper canines
• Often inflicts significant wounds
• Guard females after copulating
• Not monogamous
• Females seen to mate with as many as three males in succession
• Social rank does not preclude securing a mate
• Subordinate males may be successful candidates for mating
• Females may mate with males of neighboring troops as well as males from their own

Copulation

• Female receptivity
  
• Receptive for less than 36 hours
• All sexual approaches and matings occur in this time
• Commonly interrupted by rival males
• Several mountings usually necessary
• Pair moves further away from the troop with each interruption

Seasonal reproduction

• Breeding season in April
• Lasts 1-3 weeks

Female reproductive characteristics

• Indicators of reproductive onset
• Genitalia swell to nearly double normal length
• From 1.5 cm to c. 3.0 cm
• Vaginal opening becomes bright pink
• Do not menstruate

Fecundity

• Average fecundity c. 75-84%

Gestation

• 134-144 days

Birth

• Birth season short, in August
• Infant characteristics
• Coat colored as adults, though more brownish
• Head very large
• Arms scrawny
• Eyes open and blue
• Head-body length c. 10 cm (4 in)
• Able to cling to mother

Interbirth Interval (Mittermeier et al. 2010)

• c. 1 year
• Females typically reproduce each year

Litter Size

• Single offspring most common
• Twins occur
• Triplets rare
• Though mother has 4 mammae, only 2 are functional

Infant

• Up to 1 year of age
• Care
• Carried by mother
• Infant clings in a position which parallels body line axis
• Position unlike that of other lemurs which cling across the body
• Young are raised by entire troop and may be exchanged between mothers
• Development
• Actively move around mother's body by 3 days
• Carried on mother's back and grasp branches by 2 weeks
• Climb by 3 weeks of age
• Ingest solid food c. 6 weeks of age
• Weaning
• 4-6 months
• Continue to nurse as late as March (one study)
• Maternal care ceases upon weaning
• Nearly size of adult before 1st birthday
• Mortality
• c. 30-52% during a non-drought year
• Much higher with drought and limited resource availability

 Adult

• Reach full adult size c. 1.5 years of age
• Mature later
• Females
• Sexually mature c. 2 years
• Begin to breed at 2-3 years of age, and continue yearly until old age

Managed care

• Median life expectancy
  • 16.7 years (AZA 2023)

An infant is carried on its mother's back by 2 weeks of age.

Image credit: © San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. All rights reserved.

Evans and Goy (1968)
Martin et al. (1974)
Mittermeier et al. (2010)
Petter-Rousseaux (1964)
Sussman (1999)
Tatersall (1982)
ZIMS (2015)