A medium-sized lemur that looks like it’s wearing a built-in chestnut vest. It lives in the humid rainforests of eastern Madagascar, spending almost all its time in the trees, usually in the middle and upper canopy. Its body is about the length of a school ruler, with a tail that’s even longer and fully furred, acting as a balancing pole when it runs and leaps between branches.

Males and females look different. Males are deep chocolate-brown on the back with a rich reddish-orange belly and chest, and a dark face marked by striking white “teardrops” under the eyes. Females are softer grey-brown above, with a paler, creamier underside and a lighter face without the dramatic white tear patches. Both sexes have large orange eyes that stand out sharply against their dark faces, giving them a very intense, alert expression.

One of the most special things about red-bellied lemurs is their family life. Unlike many lemurs that live in big groups, red-bellied lemurs usually live in small family units: a mated pair and their offspring, sometimes with an extra youngster or two from previous years. The pair bond between the male and female is strong—partners spend a lot of time close together, grooming each other, resting side by side, and moving through the forest as a team.

Fathers play a big role in raising babies. After the infant has spent its first days clinging to the mother’s belly, the male often takes over carrying duty, with the baby riding on his back or clinging to his fur while the mother forages nearby. That kind of hands-on dad is fairly unusual among lemurs and makes this species stand out.

Red-bellied lemurs are mainly fruit eaters, but their menu is flexible. A large part of their diet is made up of fruits from rainforest trees and vines, but they also eat leaves, flowers, seeds, and sometimes a bit of bark or invertebrates when fruit is scarce.

Distribution

Country

Population est.

Status

Year

Comments

Madagascar

VU

2018