Conservation status: IUCN Endangered

• Black and white ruffed lemurs are native to Madagascar, an island off the coast of East Africa.
• Lemurs have the opposable thumbs which makes them unique in the primate family. Black and white ruffed lemurs have a ruff or collar of long, thick white hair around their ears.
• In lemur society, females are the dominant sex.
• The ruffed lemur's diet consists mainly of sweet fruits, leaves, nectar and seeds. Lemurs have also been known to eat insects, small birds, birds' eggs and, occasionally, small mammals.
• Black and white ruffed lemurs are closely related to all the other species of lemur, all of which are found naturally only on the island of Madagascar.
• In the north of Madagascar, the black and white ruffed lemurs have more black fur than those from the south.
• Lemurs often hang upside down by their feet to feed.
• During the day the ruffed lemur sleeps in a hollow tree curled up into a ball. It is a nimble climber, most active at dusk and during the first part of the night, when it forages for fruit. They rarely descend to the ground.
• Madagascar natives once believed that the black and white lemurs worshipped the sun because they often sunbathe.
• Lemurs make a range of noises, including a loud alarm bark that sounds like dogs fighting.