Lemur Forest - Madagascar by the Sea

Photo: BrokenSphere, CC BY 3.0 (cropped)

A stop on San Francisco Zoo: Exhibit by Exhibit, a free self-guided tour.

This is the Lipman Family Lemur Forest, which the zoo calls the largest outdoor lemur habitat in the country. Opened in 2002, it links plant-filled mesh enclosures to a big open forest so the lemurs can climb, leap and sunbathe.

Lemurs live wild only on Madagascar, an island off southeast Africa that has been separate from other land for so long that most of its animals are found nowhere else. You may see ring-tailed lemurs, ruffed lemurs, blue-eyed black lemurs and other species here. Watch for ring-tails sitting upright with arms spread toward the sun.

Lemurs are among the most threatened primates on Earth because Madagascar's forests are being cut down. The habitat was created with the Madagascar Fauna Group, and a donation box here sends money straight to their conservation work on the island.

Getting here: Walk back north past the gorillas and the mandrill exhibit to the lemur viewing area on the south side of the Madagascar region.

Did you know?: Male ring-tailed lemurs hold stink fights: they rub scent from glands on their wrists onto their tails and wave them at rivals.

Photo op: Look for a ring-tail sunbathing on a branch and shoot from low so the striped tail fills the frame.

For kids: Count the black and white rings on a ring-tailed lemur's tail. Do all the lemurs have the same number?

Nearby: Leaping Lemur Cafe, the zoo's main restaurant with grill food and salads, is right beside the lemurs, with restrooms nearby.

More on Wikipedia: Lemur · Ring-tailed lemur · Madagascar

Lemur Forest - Madagascar by the Sea

Stops on this tour