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Verreaux's Sifaka - Propithecus verreauxi

SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION

  Order: Primates

    Suborder: Strepsirrhini

      Infraorder: Lemuriformes

        Superfamily:  Lemuroidea

          Family:  Indriidae

            Genus:  Propithecus

              Species:  verreauxi

 

COMMON NAME:  Verreaux's Sifaka
 
GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION:  South-Western Madagascar
  • from the Tsiribihina River to the Andohahela region

 

HABITAT: 
  • tropical dry lowland forest

  • montane forest at 1,300 metres (4,200 feet) above sea level

  • lowland, humid rainforest

 

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
  • body length averages between 40-47.5 cm (1.3-1.5 feet)

  • tail length ranges between 50-60 cm (1.6-1.9 feet)

  • weight from 3-6 kilos (7-13 pounds)

  • long, thick, soft hair that is mostly white

  • dark brown crown that extends down the back of its neck

  • face is dark grey or black

  • yellow eyes

  • fur is thinner on its chest, belly and underarms allowing the grey skin to show through

  • male Verreaux's sifakas may have a faint reddish-brown area on the chest 

  • arms are short, somewhat limiting movement, however

  • hind limbs are large and strong

 

DIET:  Herbivore

They have been known to eat about 100 different plants.

  • leaves

  • flowers

  • fruit

  • buds

  • tree bark. 

 
LOCOMOTION TYPE:  
  • arboreal:  vertical leaping and clinging

  • terrestrial:  bipedal hopping

 

SOCIAL GROUP ORGANIZATION:  
  • live in groups of 3 to 10 individuals

  • including only 1 breeding female

  • males may move from group to group

 

PARENTAL CARE:  
  • young are cared for by adults

  • parental care continues until young reach full size at about 21 months

  • mothers carry newborn sifakas near their chest and abdomen for the first 2 to 3 months after birth and then on her back until offspring reach about 6 months of age

  • mother's position in the social hierarchy affects the social status of her young 

  • females stay with the group

  • males either stay with the group or leave to form their own

 
COMMUNICATION:

Clear, deep barks or growling

  • sounds similar to the word “sifaka”

  • produced only when intruders are nearby

  • made by the group leader

 
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES:  
  • group called a 'troop'

  • looks similar to children's television program character, Zoboomafoo

 

ENDANGERMENT STATUS:  Vulnerable
  • threatened by the destruction of their forest habitats

 

To learn more about Propithecus verreauxi, visit the following websites:
  1. ARKive

  2. EOL - Encyclopedia of Life

  3. Animal Diversity Web

  4. The IUCN Red List of Endangered Species

 

Information and photographs compiled by M. Lopez and N. Velazquez.

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