It’s not every day you can get up close and personal with a lemur. But now, thanks to a new exhibit at the South Carolina Aquarium, four ring-tailed lemurs are making their home in Charleston as part of a new “Madagascar Journey” exhibit.
The exhibit opened May 5 so check it out and be among the first to watch these lemurs leap from rope to rope and munch on fruits and vegetables. Ring-tailed lemurs live in rainforests and deciduous forests located in southern Madagascar.
Madagascar itself is an island in the Indian Ocean, east of Mozambique. It is home to more than 250,000 species – 70 percent of which aren’t found anywhere else on earth. Habitat loss is a threat to the lemurs. Population growth and slash-and-burn agriculture is wiping out the forests where the lemurs live.
From the South Carolina Aquarium, here are some facts about the ring-tailed lemurs in the exhibit:
- Lemurs live in groups called troops. The females are the dominant ones within this society.
- Relying on olfactory communication (spreading scents) to mark their territory, male lemurs have “stink fights” by waving their tails at each other after they have been scented by their wrist glands.
- Unlike most other lemurs, ring-tails spend roughly half their time on the ground where they walk around on all fours.
- Ring-tailed lemurs enjoy sunbathing. They sit facing the sun and stretch out their arms and legs soaking up the sun.
- Lemurs communicate through closed-mouth clicks and open-mouth calls. They have calls to warn about predators, ward off other troops, find each other, claim territories and indicate contentment.
Stop by and see the lemurs and then let us know what you think. We’d love to see some of your photos on our Facebook page.
The South Carolina Aquarium is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through August. For more information, visit www.scaquarium.org.
