An animal with a perfectly black and white striped tail is a striking and relatively rare visual feature. While many species have banded coloration, few possess the high-contrast, distinct rings matching this specific description. This unique pattern suggests a creature that relies on visibility over camouflage. The definitive answer to this query is a primate known globally for its dramatic tail.
The Definitive Answer: The Ring-Tailed Lemur
The animal most famously characterized by a long, vividly striped black and white tail is the ring-tailed lemur, scientifically known as Lemur catta. This strepsirrhine primate is endemic to the southern and southwestern regions of Madagascar, inhabiting dry scrubland and gallery forests along riverbanks. Ring-tailed lemurs are the most terrestrial of all lemur species, spending a significant portion of their day foraging on the ground, but they remain highly capable climbers.
Their body is covered in dense gray-brown fur with a white underside, but the tail is the most arresting physical trait. The tail is long and is not prehensile, meaning it cannot grasp branches. The rings are perfectly alternating bands of black and white. Most individuals possess 25 to 27 distinct bands, typically totaling 12 to 13 white rings and 12 to 14 black rings, with the tip always ending in black.
These primates are highly social, living in multi-male, multi-female groups called “troops” that can number up to 30 individuals. Ring-tailed lemur society is female-dominant, which is an unusual trait among primates. As omnivores, their diet is varied and includes fruits, leaves, flowers, sap, and insects, reflecting the resources available in their diverse habitats.
The Purpose of Distinctive Tail Stripes
The lemur’s tail is a multipurpose biological tool for survival and social interaction. Its length and bushy nature provide exceptional balance, assisting the lemur when it leaps and travels through trees and across rocky terrain. The striking black and white pattern is primarily a visual signal, functioning like a flag to maintain troop cohesion.
When a group is traveling across the ground or through dense vegetation, members keep their tails raised high in the air, allowing others to easily follow the movement of the troop. Beyond visual cues, the tail plays an unusual and central role in olfactory communication, particularly among males.
Male ring-tailed lemurs possess specialized scent glands on their wrists and chests. During the mating season, males engage in a ritual called “stink-fighting” or “stink-wafting” to establish dominance. The male rubs his tail against these glands, coating the fur with a musky secretion. He then waves the scented tail toward a rival male, using the visible structure to disperse the chemical message. This display communicates the male’s social rank and genetic fitness.
Other Striped-Tail Animals Often Confused
While the ring-tailed lemur offers the clearest example of a black and white striped tail, several other animals have banded tails. The North American raccoon is the most frequent misidentification, as its tail features alternating dark and light rings. However, a raccoon’s bands are typically dark brown or black alternating with dull gray or light brown, lacking the stark, high-contrast black and pure white pattern of the lemur.
Coatis, members of the raccoon family found in Central and South America, also possess ringed tails. Their coloration is highly variable, but the tail bands are usually light brown or yellowish against a darker background. The rings on a coati’s tail are often less distinct than those of the lemur and can be faint in some individuals.
Skunks, such as the striped skunk, are black and white, but their tails are not transversely ringed. Instead, the white coloration typically forms one or two broad, longitudinal stripes that run down the back and blend into a bushy, mixed black and white tail. The skunk’s pattern serves as a warning signal, known as aposematism, which is a different function from the lemur’s use of its tail for social communication and balance.