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Woolly lemurs, indri, and sifakas —
Indri The largest living lemur is the Indri (Indri indri) of the montane forests of eastern Madagascar. In coloration, it resembles a giant panda with its black and white fur, but in body shape is more anthropomorphic with its long neck and arms, and small ears. The Indri feeds on canopy fruits and leaves and is best known for its eerie yet beautiful song, which can carry for more than 1.2 miles (2 km). This diurnal lemur will bark when confronted with danger, and make kissing sounds when affectionate. Despite its large size, the Indri refuses to move along the ground, and will negotiate gaps by leaping, often over 33 feet (10 m) between tree trunks. Naturally rare due to its low birth rate (one birth every three years) and small population density, today the Indri's numbers are small and dwindling due to habitat loss and hunting. A good portion of the world's remaining Indri are in the Analamazaotra (Perinet) reserve and surrounding forest, due east of Madagascar's capital Antananarivo. The Indri will not survive in captivity and cannot tolerate habitat disturbance; traits that are potential roadblocks to possible rehabilitation projects and conservation. Verreaux's sifaka Verreaux's sifaka is the most common species of sifaka. There are four subspecies, the most readily seen of which is Sifaka verreauxi verreauxi at Berenty. At home in the trees, sifakas are powerful jumpers, but on the ground they are somewhat awkward due to their splayed feet. Since trees in their habitat are often dispersed, sifakas cross open ground by sashaying on their hind legs with arms aloft. They are often known as "dancing lemurs." Sifakas also have the remarkable ability to leaping from tree to tree in the spiny forest where virtually every branch is covered with thorns or spines. Indriidae species:
Indriidae links Duke University's Lemur taxa - includes extinct lemur species Find a mistake? Want to submit pictures or content? Contact WildMadagascar.org Almost all pictures on this site were taken with a Konica Minolta |
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RECENT NEWS Dell becomes carbon neutral by saving endangered lemurs (08/06/2008)Every year as much as one-third of Dell, the world's largest computer maker, announced it has become the first major technology company to achieve carbon neutrality. Population of critically endangered lemurs discovered in Madagascar (7/22/2008) Scientists in Madagascar have discovered a population of greater bamboo lemurs (Prolemur simus), a critically endangered species of primate, in an area more than 400 kilometers away from its only known refuge, reports conservation International. Lemurs are key to health of Madagascar's rainforests (06/12/2008) Lemurs play a key role in the health of Madagascar's tropical rainforests said a renowned primatologist speaking at a meeting of conservation biologists in Paramaribo, Suriname. Madagascar signs big carbon deal to fund rainforest conservation (06/11/2008> Madagascar will sell more than nine million tons of carbon offsets to fund rainforest conservation in a newly established protected area. conservationists say the deal protect endangered wildlife, promote sustainable development to improve the economic well-being of people living in and around the park area, and help fight global warming. Conservation is saving lemurs and helping people in Madagascar (5/7/2007) Madagascar, an island nation that lies off the coast of southeastern Africa, has long been famous for its unique and diverse species of wildlife, especially lemurs--primates found nowhere else on the planet. In recent years, the island country has also become world-renowned for conservation efforts that are succeeding in spite of extraordinary pressures from a poor population that relies heavily on forest burning for basic subsistence. A large part of this success is due to the early efforts of Patricia Wright, a primatologist who has been working in the country for more than 20 years. Wright led the effort to launch the country's leading protected area and helped Madagascar become a leading global example of conservation despite its economic adversity. More news GEAR 
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