The
ring-tailed lemur (
Lemur catta) is a large
strepsirrhine primate endemic to Madagascar, and the most-recognized
lemur due to its long black-and-white ringed tail. The species is social, living in groups of up to thirty individuals, with females being dominant. It is considered to be an
endangered species, with only about 2,000 ring-tailed lemurs left in the wild as of 2017; its main threat is habitat destruction, but droughts and harvesting for bushmeat or pets also take their toll. It breeds readily in captivity, and a similar number of animals are kept in zoos around the world. This ring-tailed lemur was photographed near
Andasibe-Mantadia National Park in eastern Madagascar.
Photograph credit: Charles James Sharp