Ansell is the beloved matriarch of one of our ring-tailed lemur families. Along with her partner Yuengling and two of their offspring, Goose and Duffy, Ansell rules the forest. She is easy to recognize due to her permanent head tilt, a result of an inner ear infection over five years ago. Ansell doesn’t let it slow her down, however, as she has since given birth to nine infants in LCF’s multi-acre free-ranging forest habitats, easily keeping them in check and teaching them the rules of forest life.
Ansell and her family are one of LCF’s most studied ring-tailed lemur groups, partaking in research studies with topics including:
- cognition
- activity patterns
- home range
- diet
- intestinal parasites
- grooming behavior
- fecal cortisol levels
In addition, Ansell’s group has helped dozens of student researchers learn the basics of field research, animal observation, primate behavior, and animal identification during LCF’s field school programs.
Ring-tailed lemurs are listed as Endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List with an very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future. In addition to their important role in conservation, education, and research, Ansell, Yuengling, and all the ring-tailed lemurs at LCF serve as a genetic safety net against possible extinction in the wild.
Learn more about ring-tailed lemurs by clicking here.