The black-and-white ruffed lemur (Varecia variegata) is one of the largest species of lemur in existence. Unfortunately, it is also among the most critically endangered, given its highly frugivorous diet and the metabolic needs of having a large body and producing large litters. In its native Madagascar it is threatened by poaching and the clearing of forest habitat for agriculture. Breeding in zoo populations may soon be the only means of ensuring a future for this most interesting species. Our