Adult vocalizing The ring-tailed lemur has a complex array of distinct vocalizations used to maintain group cohesion during foraging and alert group members to the presence of a predator. The tables below detail calls documented in the wild and studied at the Duke Lemur Center .[ 1]
Adult Affiliative Vocalizations Call Vocalizers Inferred Function Moan sample 1 ⓘ sample 2 ⓘ All except infants <14 weeks Promotes group cohesion in low-to-moderate arousal contexts Early-High Wail sample 1 ⓘ sample 2 ⓘ All except infants <6–8 weeks Promotes group cohesion; indicates moderate-to-high level arousal level of caller Late-High Wail sample 1 ⓘ sample 2 ⓘ sample 3 ⓘ Non-infant females (typically), males (rarely) May promote group cohesion under conditions of extreme arousal Howl sample 1 ⓘ sample 2 ⓘ Non-infant males Male advertisement call; together with female counter-calling, howls advertise the presence and location of the group Hmm sample 1 ⓘ sample 2 ⓘ All except infants <5 weeks Indicates that slow group relocation is imminent and promotes group cohesion, or reflects a caller's desire to maintain conspecific contact Huh sample 1 ⓘ sample 2 ⓘ Infants >3 months (most frequent); male juveniles and adolescents; rarely by adults Similar to hmm, but marks a caller's location more effectively Purr sample ⓘ Adult females (most frequent); both sexes of all age classes Appears to express contentment; also may communicate nonaggressive intent of an adult during close contact Chirp sample 1 ⓘ sample 2 ⓘ sample 3 ⓘ sample 4 ⓘ All except infants <3 weeks Elicits rapid group movement and may promote group cohesion in this context
Adult Agonistic Vocalizations Call Vocalizers Inferred Function Yip sample 1 ⓘ sample 2 ⓘ sample 3 ⓘ All non-infants, except alpha females Expresses mild fear and, perhaps, willingness to defer to a dominant Cackle sample 1 ⓘ sample 2 ⓘ sample 3 ⓘ sample 4 ⓘ sample 5 ⓘ Adults of both sexes A defensive display that may reflect a willingness to become aggressive if pressed Squeal sample 1 ⓘ sample 2 ⓘ Males, during tail waving only Male "status assertion" vocalization Twitter sample ⓘ All except infants <6 months Communicates somewhat fearful but nevertheless assertive demeanor Plosive Bark sample 1 ⓘ sample 2 ⓘ sample 3 ⓘ sample 4 ⓘ Both sexes of all ages classes High-intensity threat vocalization Chutter sample ⓘ Dominant adults (toward subordinates of all ages) Low-to-moderate threat vocalization; may encourage subordinates to give way to dominants, thereby reaffirming dyadic dominance relationships.
Alerting & Antipredator Vocalizations Call Vocalizers Inferred Function Gulp sample 1 ⓘ sample 2 ⓘ All except infants <14 weeks Generalized "group alert" vocalization Rasp sample 1 ⓘ sample 2 ⓘ sample 3 ⓘ sample 4 ⓘ All except infants Aerial predator alarm call Shriek, variant 1 sample 1 ⓘ sample 2 ⓘ sample 3 ⓘ All except infants May serve to inform a raptor that it has been seen, and/or may discourage pursuit by intimidation, as well as to broadcast widely that a low-flying raptor has been detected Shriek, variant 2 sample 1 ⓘ sample 2 ⓘ All except infants Same as variant 1, except that variant 2 may express the more urgent nature of the aerial predator encounter. Click sample 1 ⓘ sample 2 ⓘ sample 3 ⓘ All except infants <2 weeks The click is a low-arousal "location marker" that draws attention to a caller. Close-Mouth Click Series (CMCS) sample ⓘ All except infants <2 months Moderate-arousal "location marker" Open-Mouth Click Series (OMCS) sample ⓘ All except infants A "location marker" reserved for a limited number of contexts of very high arousal; also appears to serve as a cue that aids in the synchronization of yaps Yap sample ⓘ All except infants
Infant Affiliative Vocalizations Call Inferred Function Infant Contact Call sample 1 ⓘ sample 2 ⓘ sample 3 ⓘ sample 4 ⓘ Conspecific vocal contact; functions initially to attract the mother and later as a precursor to moans and wails Infant Trill, variant 1 sample 1 ⓘ sample 2 ⓘ Expresses desire for, and contentment from, conspecific contact Infant Trill, variant 2 sample 1 ⓘ sample 2 ⓘ May express contentment and/or crossing the sensory threshold from contentment to discomfort
Infant Distress Vocalizations Call Inferred Function Infant Whit, variant 1 sample ⓘ Infant distress call; expresses discomfort and/or distress Infant Whit, variant 2 sample 1 ⓘ sample 2 ⓘ Infant high-intensity distress call Infant Yelp sample 1 ⓘ sample 2 ⓘ sample 3 ⓘ Serves both as an affiliative and distress vocalization in eliciting prompt retrieval by the mother
^ Macedonia, Joseph M. (1993). "The vocal repertoire of the ringtailed lemur (Lemur catta )". Folia Primatologica . 61 (4): 186–217. doi :10.1159/000156749 . PMID 7959437 . 
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