The black lemur primarily eats fruit. Other foods eaten include flowers, leaves, fungi, some invertebrates and, especially during the dry season, nectar. The black lemur lives in both primary and secondary forest. It is active both during the day and at night. It forages in both the upper and middle canopy, especially at night, and during the day it also forages in the understory. In degraded habitats, it also forages on the ground and may even eat soil.