By TOSHIYUKI TAKEYA/ Staff Writer
September 7, 2018 at 10:30 JST
Editor's note: This is part of a series of videos offering an up-close perspective on the animal kingdom. A special 360-degree video camera system was set up in zoos and other facilities to show how the animals view their world as they interact.
Also visit our special 360-DEGREE LIVES page (http://t.asahi.com/360lives), where you can watch all the previous videos.
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Ten ring-tailed lemurs, known for their striped black and white tails, are kept at Nifrel in Suita, Osaka Prefecture, an “interactive” animal theme park that combines the features of zoo, aquarium and museum.
Some creatures are available for interactions with humans.
The ring-tailed lemurs are kept in the spacious Behavior area, which seems like a playground for animals. They gathered around shooting equipment even before the video camera was set up.
“Ring-tailed lemurs have a very gentle personality. But they are also very curious about everything, and when they find something interesting, they come near it right away,” zoo employee Shunsuke Sawa, 25, said.
Indeed, they appeared excited about the shooting tools, trying to climb on the tripod and looking into the camera lens.
The shooting began when the ring-tailed lemurs were fed with their breakfast. They were set loose in the exhibition area and made a mad dash for food.
After the meal, they struck their signature “stomach-baring” pose in front of a spotlight set up for them to warm themselves.
The ring-tailed lemur is endemic to tropical areas in the southern and southwestern parts of Madagascar. Because its thermoregulatory functions are undeveloped, it sunbathes to warm itself in a pose facing the sun, sits down and spreads its arms to absorb the rays with its entire body.
The ring-tailed lemur mainly eats fruits and leaves.
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