Varis lemurs live in small family groups of two to four individuals. They live in the treetops (the canopy) and rarely come down to the ground. This means they are not easily seen; instead, they are heard from up to a kilometre away, as they signal their presence and mark their territory with deafening barks that are echoed by neighbouring groups. Their repertoire includes many other cries: growls, coughs and moans all have a meaning, whether to warn of the presence of a predator, gather the group together or calm things down after a dispute.

Varis lemurs regularly give birth to twins or triplets! Females are the only lemurs to have three pairs of teats (the others have one pair) and not to carry their young at birth. The mother leaves them in the shelter of a rudimentary nest for one to three weeks, then when she leaves to feed, she carries them in her mouth and hides them in the foliage of the trees. At around two or three months old, the young begin to follow the group.

The ring-tailed lemur, about the size of a large cat, is easily recognisable by its coat: its tail, legs, shoulders, hindquarters, face and muzzle are black, while its back and flanks are white, as are its ears and the ruff around its cheeks.

To catch fruit, it is able to hang by its hind legs.

It plays an important role in the pollination of certain plants: when searching for nectar in the centre of the flower, pollen sticks to its snout and is thus transported to other flowers.

Prized for their meat or used in traditional medicine, varis lemurs are the most hunted lemurs, easily spotted by their cries. They are also victims of forest destruction, which isolates populations. They are found in a dozen protected areas (national parks, nature reserves, etc.). A few reintroductions were carried out in the 1990s. Some of these individuals have successfully integrated into wild groups and reproduced.