DID YOU KNOW?
The Betsimisaraka tribal name for the indri, "babakoto," means "Ancestor of Man"
The Indri is a large, distinctive lemur with a very short tail. The Indris pelt (furry coat) is very dense and the coloration is a mixture of black and white. There is considerable variation in the mixture of black and white throughout the species` range. The indri has a head and body length of more than 60 cm (24") and a tail length of only about 5 cm (about 2"). It weighs 6 - 7.5 kg (13 - 17 lb).
These black and white primates are about the size of a small dog and are related to humans and apes, but they can only be found in the Madagascar rainforest (endemic). This dueting between the male and female announces their presence to the jungle. When they stop, the call will be picked up by another pair of Indri, and then another, and so the wail passes on and on through the forest.
The Indri is the largest extant lemur species. It is found in the eastern rainforest of Madagascar, most easily seen in Perinet/AndasibeThe Malagasy people of Madagascar tell a story that long ago the monkey-like primate called an Indri lemur gave birth to two children. The children left their parents in the rainforest treetops, and went to cultivate the land. There they stayed, and became the ancestors of the Malagasy.
The indri`s diet consists largely of leaves, flowers and fruit. It is primarily arboreal and nocturnal, making the Indri crepuscular. The Indri can move through forest canopies with spectacular leaps and bounds of up to 10 m (33`), between vertical branches and trunks. A relatively unknown fact is that all Indris occasionally, descend to the forest floor to eat soil.
Group size varies between 2 - 6, and normally comprises an adult pair with dependent offspring of varying ages. Within the pair, the female tends to be dominant and has priority at food resources. The family groups occupy ranges which are proclaimed by the Indri’s characteristic eerie wailing songs (which are answered from as far as 3 km away). The songs help maintain spacing between groups of Indri, leading to a relatively small degree of overlap between the home ranges of neighbouring groups.
The mother has a gestation period of 120 to 150 days. Mating generally occurs between December and March. Births occur in May or June, but sometimes as late as August. Indris don`t breed every year (they have babies every 2nd or 3rd year), but when they do produce offspring, the mother only gives birth to one infant. The parents and baby live together as a family, and it`s the female`s job to care for the newborn. The baby clings to its mother`s stomach, holding tight as they race through the treetops.
The Indri spend most of their days in relaxed activity, waking late and retiring early. They`ve got little to fear from human predators; most Malagasy people won`t hunt the Indri. Some say if a hunter throws a spear at one of these lemurs, the Indri will pick it up and hurl it back. But other Malagasy just feel it`s wrong to harm what they call these elders of the forest.
SAD BUT TRUE In the early 1900`s, the indri was so common that one traveller reported that no one could travel from Tamatave to Antanarivo without often hearing its cries. By the 1960`s its abundance was decreasing due to deforestation. Before deforestation occurred, a separate troop of indris occupied almost every ridge in Madagascar`s eastern forests (IUCN 1966).
Today the Indri is severely threatened by deforestation of its habitat for fuel, logging and slash-and-burn agriculture. Even forests lying within the bounds of protected areas continue to be felled and disturbed. Indris are not hunted by the local people because of taboos ("fady"). However, there are reports of immigrants from other tribal groups and even some foreign immigrants hunting indri.
Quick Lemur Facts
Lemurs are a special group of primates found only on Madagascar and the Comoro Islands. There are 50 species of lemurs and 17 are on the endangered species list. Lemurs are prosimians, or primative primates. They are social animals with long limbs, flexible toes and fingers, and long noses. Habitat loss is the main threat to lemurs today, as people clear their native forests for farmland.
Physical Description of Lemurs: The lemur is a kind of primate, which means it is related to apes and humans. You would never know it from the way it looks though! There are many kinds of lemurs, but most have long, pointy noses, which contribute to their excellent sense of smell. Each type of lemur looks very different. They vary colour from reddish brown to grey, and come in all different sizes, too. The smallest lemur, the pygmy mouse lemur, weighs only one ounce. But the biggest lemurs, the Indri and Diademed Sifaka lemurs, can weigh up o fifteen pounds, which is about as much as a big cat.
Lemur Communication: Lemurs use their sense of smell to communicate with each other. These primates have scent glands on their bottoms and on their feet that leave odors on surfaces they cross. When other lemurs pass by, they smell those odors and can tell that another lemur has been there. Lemurs have big, bushy tails that they wave in the air as another form of communication. These big tails also help lemurs balance when they leap from tree to tree.
Lemur Habits: Most Lemurs are arboreal, which means they spend most of their time in trees and bushes. They have a good grip for hanging on to branches. Only the Ringtail Lemur spends most of its time on the ground – about 70%. Usually Lemurs that are awake during the day live in groups. Besides using scent glands and tails to communicate, they also make noises. Nocturnal Lemurs, that are active at night, tend to live alone.
Lemur Range & Habitat: All lemurs are found only in Madagascar (an island off the coast of Africa), and the neighbouring Comores Islands. But on these islands, lemurs live in a variety of habitats. Some live in moist, tropical rainforests, while others live in dry desert areas.
Lemur Reproduction and Rearing: When lemurs are born, they are carried in their mothers` mouths until they are old enough to hang on to her fur by themselves. Most Lemurs live for about eighteen years.
Lemur Diets: Lemurs usually have a vegetarian diet, consisting of leaves and fruit, although they will occasionally eat insects or smaller animals.
Lemur Status: Out of the fifty different kinds of Lemurs, ten of those types are critically endangered, seven are endangered, and nineteen are considered vulnerable.
Lemur Conservation & Ecology: Lemurs play an important role in the ecology of Madagascar and the Comores Islands, because they disperse seeds from the fruit they eat. These seeds can then grow into new plants, which is important because the forests of Madagascar are being destroyed at a very high rate.
Lemurs are threatened largely because their habitats are being destroyed. People in Madagascar cut down the forests there to use the wood, and to grow agricultural crops in its place. In fact, eighty percent of the lemur`s original habitat in Madagascar has been destroyed. Although the lemurs themselves help to disperse seeds for new plants, they cannot keep up with the people that cut the forests down. Lemur populations are also hurt by hunting. Fortunately, however, all types of lemurs are protected by CITES, which makes it illegal hunt or capture lemurs for trade, except for scientific research, and to breed in zoos. These laws are well enforced, and the Lemur has been a long-time focus of conservation efforts. But although the lemurs are no longer being traded with they are sill being hunted although not as much as in the past. Another rather critical problem Lemurs face today is the exhilarated rate of deforestation; this is currently the Lemurs largest threat of survival.
