SIFAKAS

Active during the day, these nine vegetarian lemur species are famous for their leaping skills.

SIFAKAS

Genus: Propithecus

Propithecus coquereli

CONSERVATION STATUS: ENDANGERED

Like all lemurs, the Coquerel’s sifaka (pronounced “shuh–fokk”) is endemic to Madagascar. More specifically, the Coquerel’s sifaka lives in the dry deciduous forests of northwest Madagascar. Each sifaka family sticks to a territory of 10-22 acres. Just exactly how the ancestors of sifakas and other mammals arrived in…

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Propithecus coronatus

CONSERVATION STATUS: CRITICALLY ENDANGERED

The crowned sifaka, not to be confused with the closely related golden-crowned sifaka, is a species of lemur that, like all lemurs, is endemic to the island of Madagascar. This species inhabits the dry deciduous and mangrove forests of the northwest side of Madagascar, and can be found up to an elevation of about…

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Propithecus diadema

CONSERVATION STATUS: CRITICALLY ENDANGERED

Like all lemurs, the diademed sifakas are endemic to Madagascar and live in the eastern and northeastern rainforests of the island, at altitudes between 2,260 and 5,000 ft (800-1500 m). It is thought to be one of the most widely distributed of the sifaka species. Diademed sifakas are large lemurs, the smallest of them being…

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Photo credit: Alex Chiang/Flickr/Creative Commons​

Propithecus tattersalli

CONSERVATION STATUS: CRITICALLY ENDANGERED

Golden-crowned sifakas, also known as Tattersall’s sifakas, are endemic to Loky-Manambato, near the town of Daraina, in northeastern Madagascar. The area spreads over approximately 960 square miles (2,500 square kilometers). It is one of the richest for its biodiversity, with over 1,200 plant species as well as many…

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Propithecus edwardsi

CONSERVATION STATUS: ENDANGERED

Like all species of lemurs, the Milne-Edwards’s sifaka, also known as the Milne-Edwards’s simpona, is found only on the island of Madagascar. They inhabit both continuous and fragmented primary and secondary rainforests along a strip of southeastern Madagascar at elevations of 1,967–5,250 ft (600–1,600 m)…

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Photos credit: Kris Norvig/Creative Commons

Propithecus perrieri

CONSERVATION STATUS: CRITICALLY ENDANGERED

As one of the world’s rarest lemurs and most threatened primates, Perrier’s sifaka makes its home on the island of Madagascar, the only place on the planet where the remaining few hundred individuals of this Critically Endangered species can be found. Situated off the coast of East Africa, the island of Madagascar stands as…

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Propithecus candidus

CONSERVATION STATUS: CRITICALLY ENDANGERED

Silky sifakas, also known as silky simponas, inhabit montane and mid-altitude rainforests. They reside in a restricted range in northeastern Madagascar, mostly in Marojejy National Park and Anjanaharibe-Sub Special Reserve (ASSR). Although populations are more fragmented, they are also found in the Makira Natural…

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Propithecus verreauxi

CONSERVATION STATUS: CRITICALLY ENDANGERED

Verreaux’s sifakas, like all lemurs, make their home in Madagascar and nowhere else in the world. They live in a wide range of diverse habitats over the southwestern and southern regions of the island. The habitats of these areas vary dramatically from dry spiny transitional forest patches to more humid rainforests…

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Photo credit: Heinonlein/Creative Commons

Propithecus verreauxi

CONSERVATION STATUS: CRITICALLY ENDANGERED

The Von der Decken’s sifaka or simply Decken’s sifaka, is one of nine distinct species of sifakas endemic to Madagascar. It and three other species that live on the western half of the island were once considered a subspecies of the Verreaux sifaka (Propithecus verreaux). Recently, closer anatomical research has determined…

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