What they lack in flash, these lemurs make up for in quiet determination. They can share the same habitat with ring-tailed lemurs, and are not cowed by the ring-tails' attempts to get them to move on to other trees. They are opportunistic feeders and consume a variety of food – from toxic plants to the occasional bird’s egg.

The Basics

Scientific name	Eulemur fulvus collaris
Diet:	Fruit, leaves, flowers, and insects
Size:	15–16 inches (head and body); 20–22 inches (tail); 5–6 pounds
Range:	Southeastern Madagascar
Habitat:	Humid forest
Group living:	Believed to live in small groups of 3–12 individuals; adults and young
Reproduction:	Single offspring.
Conservation status:	Vulnerable
Threats:	Habitat loss and the illegal pet trade

Mastering Their Domain

• Collared lemurs use their long tail for balance as they leap across tree branches.
• They are rarely on the ground.
  
• Scent-marking is a major way collareds communicate and claim territory – or other collareds – as their own.
  
• Few studies of these lemurs have been conducted in the wild, so relatively little is known about them.
  

The Pet Trade and Lemurs

Countless species worldwide are threatened by the global, multi-billion dollar trade in wildlife for meat, parts, or as pets. Collared lemurs are hunted and taken alive for the illegal pet trade. Individual wild animals that wind up as pets rarely meet a good end – they are meant to be in the wild, just as domestic dogs and cats are meant to be human companions.