The ring-tailed lemur has big triangle-shaped ears, black eye patches, wide-open orange brown eyes and very thick, soft fur. It has a long bushy black and white ringed tail which on a larger adult is about 23 inches (58 cm) long if stretched out straight, which can be longer than the body itself.

The ring tailed lemur is active during the day time, gracefully climbing trees, eating berries, fruit, leaves, grass and resin. They enjoy sun bathing and don’t mind coming down from the trees to walk around on the solid ground.

They live together in troops of 5-25, sometimes up to even 40. Males usually move from troop to troop. Unlike some animals, the females hold the authority over all the males. She can give birth to up to three babies at once but one at a time is most common.

Smelling good seems to be a very important to this lemur. Both the male and female lemurs have scent glands which are located on different parts of the body. The male scent glands are located on their forearms, upper arms, chin and by the reproductive organ. The female scent glands are located on the forearms and by her private parts. They also mark their territory by releasing secretions.