See rare ruffed lemurs at Songkhla Zoo
Songkhla Zoo will have a pair of black and white ruffed lemurs on public view starting on Saturday (February 8), its director Chalermwut Kasetsomboon says.
“We adopted them from Ubon Ratchathani Zoo but they came from different groups, so we’ve had to give them time to get familiar with one another,” he said on Friday.
The ruffed – so called because of the white ruff of fur around its head – is the largest of lemur species and, as with all others, originates from Madagascar.
The black and white ruffed lemur is critically endangered and facing extinction in its nature habitat in an eastern rainforest that’s being ravaged by lumber companies.
A second species, the red ruffed lemur, is deemed endangered.
The lemur’s cry can be heard from a long distance. They live for 15-20 years in the wild, reaching maturity at around age two, and live on fruit, leaves, nectar, flowers and seeds.
