lemur-conservation-foundation: “ Ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta) have a very unique social structure within their groups. The female L. catta are the most dominant in this society. Unlike many other species of primates where males are more dominant,...
Pop-up View Separately

lemur-conservation-foundation:

Ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta) have a very unique social structure within their groups.  The female L. catta are the most dominant in this society.   Unlike many other species of primates where males are more dominant, it’s the females that call the shots in lemur society.  The females create a stable core in each group, while the males transfer from one group to another. 

Since the females are on the top of the hierarchy, they get first dibs on preferred food items and can even be seen taking food right out of the hands of males lower in the hierarchy.  Below, you can see Ansell (purple collar).  She is on the very top of the dominance hierarchy in this group, and she keeps all the other lemurs in her group in line.