Sifakas
| Sifakas | ||||||||||||
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Diademed Sifaka ( Propithecus diadema ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Propithecus | ||||||||||||
| Bennett , 1832 |
The Sifakas ( Propithecus ) are a genus of primate from the family of the Indri-like within the lemurs . Their name is based on the alarm call ("si-fak") of some species. The genus comprises nine species that all live in Madagascar .
features
Sifakas are the largest lemurs after the Indri : they reach a head body length of 45 to 55 centimeters and a tail length of 43 to 56 centimeters. The weight varies between 3 and 7 kilograms depending on the species. Their fur is long and silky and has a different pattern depending on the species. The color varies from yellowish-white to black-brown, but the round face is always black and hairless. The arms are short, but the legs are long and strong. The tail is as long or longer than the body, which distinguishes it from the indri.
distribution and habitat
Sifakas, like all lemurs, only live in Madagascar. Their range includes both the rainforests in the east and the dry forests in the west of the island; they are absent in the unforested central highlands.
Lifestyle and diet
Sifakas are diurnal tree dwellers. At night they sleep in the branches, during the day they go looking for food. They move vertically climbing and jumping and can cover distances of up to 10 meters between the trees. Sometimes they get on the ground too. There they move with hopping movements of the hind legs, stretching the front legs up for reasons of balance. In addition to foraging for food, they spend the day sunbathing, resting and socializing.
Sifakas live in larger groups than the other Indri-peoples. The groups usually include 3 to 9 (sometimes up to 13) animals and often consist of several males, several females and the common young animals. They live in fixed territories that they mark with scent glands. At the edges, the territories can overlap with those of other groups. The animals communicate with a number of sounds, including various warning sounds depending on the attacker.
Sifakas are herbivores that feed on leaves, flowers, and fruits. However, the composition of the food varies according to the type and season.
Reproduction
After a gestation period of four to six months, a baby is usually born in June or July, which first clings to the mother's stomach and later to the mother's back. It is weaned at around six months and reaches sexual maturity at two to three years of age. The life expectancy of the Sifakas in human care can be over 20 years.
Danger
All species are endangered by the destruction of their habitat and hunting. The IUCN lists two species as "threatened with extinction" ( critically endangered ) and five others as "high risk" ( endangered ).
Systematics
The Sifakas together with the Indri and woolly as well as several extinct genera of the family Indriartigen (Indriidae). Her sister taxon is the Indri.
There are nine species that are grouped into two species groups (according to Mittermeier et al., 2008):
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diadema group : These species are slightly larger and live in the east and northeast of Madagascar:
- Silk sifaka ( Propithecus candidus )
- Diademed Sifaka ( Propithecus diadema )
- Edwards sifaka ( Propithecus edwardsi )
- Perrier sifaka ( Propithecus perrieri )
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verreauxi group : These species are smaller and inhabit the west and southwest of Madagascar:
- Coquerel sifaka ( Propithecus coquereli )
- Off-the-ceiling sifaka ( Propithecus ceilingii )
- Crown Sifaka ( Propithecus coronatus )
- Larval Sifaka ( Propithecus verreauxi )
- Golden Crowned Sifaka or Tattersall Sifaka ( Propithecus tattersalli )
The group membership of the golden crowned sifaka, which lives on the northern tip and is the smallest sifaka, is controversial. Until recently, all representatives of the diadema group and all representatives of the verreauxi group, with the exception of the golden crowned sifaka, were each grouped together to form a common species.
literature
- Nick Garbutt: Mammals of Madagascar. A Complete Guide. Yale University Press, New Haven CT 2007, ISBN 978-0-300-12550-4 .
- Thomas Geissmann : Comparative Primatology. Springer-Verlag, Berlin a. a. 2002, ISBN 3-540-43645-6 .
- Russell A. Mittermeier , Jörg U. Ganzhorn, William R. Konstant , Kenneth Glander, Ian Tattersall , Colin P. Groves , Anthony B. Rylands , Andreas Hapke, Jonah Ratsimbazafy, Mireya I. Mayor, Edward Louis jr, Yves Rumpler, Christoph Schwitzer , Rodin Rasoloarison: Lemur Diversity in Madagascar. In: International Journal of Primatology. 29, 2008, ISSN 0164-0291 , pp. 1607-1656.
