The ruffed lemur is a Strepsirhine primate and the largest extant lemur within the family Lemuridae. Like all lemurs, they are found only on the island of Madagascar. Formerly considered to be a monotypic genus, two species are now recognized: the Black-and-white Ruffed Lemur, with its three subspecies, and the Red Ruffed Lemur. Ruffed lemurs are diurnal and arboreal quadrupeds, often observed leaping through the upper canopy of the seasonal tropical rainforests in eastern Madagascar. They are also the most frugivorous of the Malagasy lemurs, and they are very sensitive to habitat disturbance. Ruffed lemurs live in multi-male/multi-female groups and have a complex and flexible social structure, described as fission-fusion. They are highly vocal, and have loud, raucous calls. Ruffed lemurs are seasonal breeders and highly unusual in their reproductive strategy. They are considered an "evolutionary enigma" in that they are the largest of the extant species in Lemuridae, yet exhibit reproductive traits more common in small, nocturnal lemurs, such as short gestation periods and large average litter sizes. Ruffed lemurs also build nests for their newborns (the only primates that do so), carry them by mouth, and exhibit an absentee parental system by stashing them while they forage. Threatened by habitat loss and hunting, ruffed lemurs are facing extinction in the wild.
Read the rest of this article: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruffed_lemur> _______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries: 1660: The Long Parliament, originally called by King Charles I of England in 1640 following the Bishops' Wars, dissolved itself. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Parliament> 1872: In the first-ever final of the FA Cup , today the oldest association football competition in the world, Wanderers F.C. defeated Royal Engineers A.F.C. 1–0 at The Oval in Kennington, London. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1872_FA_Cup_Final> 1900: British archaeologist Arthur Evans purchased the ruins of Knossos, a major centre of the Minoan civilization and the largest Bronze Age archaeological site on Crete, for excavations. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knossos> 1926: At the then-Asa Ward Farm in Auburn, Massachusetts, American scientist Robert H. Goddard launched the world's first liquid-fueled rocket, a 10-foot (3 m) cylinder that reached an altitude of about 41 feet (12 m) and flew for two-and-a-half seconds before falling to the ground. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_H._Goddard> 1988: Iran–Iraq War: Iraqi forces began attacking the Kurdish town of Halabja with chemical weapons, killing up to 5,000 people. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halabja_poison_gas_attack> _____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day: cynosure (n): 1. That which serves to guide or direct. 2. Something that is the center of attention; an object that serves as a focal point of attraction and admiration <http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cynosure> ___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day: Love, whether newly born, or aroused from a deathlike slumber, must always create sunshine, filling the heart so full of radiance, that it overflows upon the outward world. --Nathaniel Hawthorne <http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Nathaniel_Hawthorne> _______________________________________________ Wikipedia Daily Article mailing list. To unsubscribe, visit: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/daily-article-l Questions or comments? Contact [email protected]
