BABY GOLLUM the Ring-tailed Lemur
22nd February 2008Cute baby Gollum will steal your heart!
It was Christmas Day and all was quiet at Newquay Zoo . . . . except that is for our Ring-tailed Lemur family who had the best Christmas present of all, a baby!
Head Keeper Sam Harley comments "Christmas Day is the one day we are closed to the public. The zoo takes on a very different atmosphere and makes Christmas feel that little bit more special for the keepers. We take it in turns to come in during the day to care for and feed the animals. I had my suspicions that mum Jill was pregnant, and it was not until later that night that she gave birth. He is doing really well and spends most of his time holding onto mum, but it should not be too long before he starts to explore on his own. After much debate we have decided to name him Gollum."
Threatened by habitat destruction, Ring-tailed Lemurs are classified as Vulnerable (by the IUCN Red List www.iucnredlist.org) on their island home of Madagascar. Indeed all lemur species today are endangered due to the rapid destruction of their forest habitat for agricultural development, cattle grazing, and human settlement.
The word Lemur comes from old Latin, and refers to ghosts or spirits. The staring eyes, haunting sounds, and nocturnal ways of the lemur inspired early observers to think of them as ghosts or forest spirits.
Females are generally dominant to males. The long, bushy, black-and-white banded tail is used as a visual signal. In aggressive encounters, the Ring-tail will wave its scent-covered tail in the direction of a rival. Loud calls alert other members of the social group to danger.
As many visitors will have noticed they love to sunbathe. They communicate with short grunting sounds as a contact call within the troop, sometimes followed with a quick bark. Their diets consist mainly of leaves, fruits and berries.
