Unlike its quieter relative, the ringtailed lemur, the Ruffed Lemur is a very loud creature. They are the biggest of the quadrepedal lemur species, being somewhat larger than a cat and looking like a teddy bear. Ruffed Lemurs live in family groups, high in the canopy, and they defend their territory by making loud wooping calls that can be heard an extremely long way away.

Also, differing from ringtails, Ruffed lemurs frequently have two or three offspring, and these babies are kept in a nest for the first few days of their life, until they are big enough to wander about on their own. These nests are made in the forks of tree branches and lined with fur, which the female tears from her body. They are not nearly as long lasting nor as involved as the nests of the Aye-aye.

Ruffed Lemurs come in several different colours, the most dramatic being the Red Ruffed subspecies. Here the white in the fur is replaced with a vibrant orange-red, almost like fire.

Like pretty much all the lemur species, Ruffed lemurs are vegetarian, dining on fruit, flowers, leaves, nectar and seeds.