Sri Lanka gets Emu birds and Ring-Tailed Lemurs from Czech Republic

COLOMBO (News 1st); Four Ring-Tailed Lemurs and Three Emu birds were brought to Sri Lanka on Wednesday (6) evening from the Czech Republic.

The animals were moved to Sri Lanka as part of an exchange program between the Czech Republic and Sri Lanka.

These animals will be placed in quarantine for a month at the Wagolla Pinnawala Zoo and thereafter they will be on display for the public at the same premises.

Ring-tailed lemur:

Ring-tailed lemurs are named for the 13 alternating black and white bands that adorn their tails. Unlike most other lemurs, ringtails spend 40 percent of their time on the ground, moving quadrupedally along the forest floor.

The average body mass for adult males is 6 pounds (3 kilograms). Females are usually smaller. Their tails can be up to 2 feet long (61 centimeters).

Ring-tailed lemurs live in southwestern Madagascar, in arid, open areas and forests in territories that range from 15 to 57 acres (0.06 to 0.2 square kilometers) in size.

The median life expectancy for a ring-tailed lemur is about 16 years.

Emu:

Emus are large, flightless birds resembling and related to ostriches. They are native to Australia.

Emus are large, flightless birds. Their necks and legs are long, but their wings are tiny, reduced to less than 8 inches (20 centimeters). After molting, the birds are dark, but sunlight fades the feathers and they become paler at the end of the season. Chicks have longitudinal stripes with black, brown and cream, so they blend easily into long grass and dense shrubbery. Emus have three toes.

Emus live only in Australia, where they are widespread. Subspecies once existed on Tasmania and King Island, but they are now extinct.