The ring-tailed lemur is a large strepsirrhine primate. It belongs to Lemuridae, one of five lemur families. Like all lemurs, it is endemic to Madagascar, living in the gallery forests and spiny scrubland in the southern regions of the island. It is omnivorous, diurnal and highly social, living in groups of up to 30 individuals. Communities are matriarchal, a trait common among lemurs. Like other lemurs, this species relies strongly on its sense of smell and marks its territory with scent glands. As one of the most vocal primates, the ring-tailed lemur utilizes numerous vocalizations such as alarm calls. Experiments have shown that, despite the lack of a large brain, the ring-tailed lemur can organize sequences, understand basic arithmetic operations and preferentially select tools based on functional qualities. Despite being listed as Near Threatened by the IUCN Red List and suffering from habitat destruction, the ring-tailed lemur reproduces readily in captivity and is the most populous lemur in zoos worldwide, numbering more than 2000 individuals. It typically lives 16 to 19 years in the wild and 27 years in captivity.

Read the rest of this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ring-tailed_lemur

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

238:

Because of his advanced age, Gordian I was proclaimed Roman Emperor along with his son Gordian II. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordian_I

1765:

The Parliament of Great Britain passed the Stamp Act, requiring that many printed materials in the Thirteen Colonies in British America carry a tax stamp . http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stamp_Act_1765

1920:

A pogrom in Shusha, Nagorno-Karabagh, by Azeris destroyed the Armenian-populated portions of the town. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shusha_pogrom

1933:

The Holocaust: The construction of the first Nazi concentration camp at Dachau was completed. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dachau_concentration_camp

1963:

Please Please Me, the first album recorded by The Beatles, was released. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Please_Please_Me

2006:

The remaining three Christian Peacemaker Teams hostages were rescued from their Iraqi captors by a multinational force. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Peacemaker_hostage_crisis

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

perfusion (n): (medicine) The introduction of a drug or nutrients through the bloodstream in order to reach an internal organ or tissues http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/perfusion

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

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The Night has a thousand eyes, And the Day but one; Yet the light of the bright world dies

With the dying sun. The mind has a thousand eyes, And the heart but one;

Yet the light of a whole life dies When love is done. --Francis William Bourdillon http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Francis_William_Bourdillon