Size:Height; 87-102cm. Weight; 3 - 4.3kg.

Habitat and Distribution: Dry deciduous forest in the west of Madagascar..

Age: A maximum of 23 years in captivity.

Groups and Breeding:Usually found in groups of 2-8 individuals with an average of five individuals where the female is dominant. Territories are very small and groups tend to spend the majority of their time in an area of less than 0.3 ha (the equivalent of an area approximately 50 x 50m). It is thought that during the breeding season, males roam between groups competing for food and females. Females give birth to a single baby after a gestation (pregnancy) of 130 days. Young cling to their mother’s stomach for the first 6 to 8 weeks and then to her back for a further 19 weeks.

Diet: Leaves, fruit, bark and flowers.

• Unlike the Verreaux’s Sifaka (listed as Vulnerable), this sub-species of lemur is listed as Critically Endangered. It is thought that only 100-1000 individuals exist in the wild.
• These lemurs can leap distances of up to 10 metres between trees. Trees are sometimes covered in hard cactus-like spines, yet the lemurs never hurt themselves.
• To cross large distances on the open ground, sifakas will ‘skip’ using their arms for balance.
• The name sifaka comes from the sound of their ‘shifak’ call when alarmed.
• Female sifakas are only receptive to mating once a year, for approximately 40 hours.
• Sifakas have been observed occasionally eating soil; it is thought that this may aid digestion!