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Along with the diademed sifaka, the indri is the largest lemur still in existence.
It has a head-and-body length of about 64–72 cm (25–28 in) and weight of 6-9.5 kg (13-21 lb).
It has a black and white coat and is a vertical clinger and leaper.
It holds its body upright when traveling through trees or resting in branches.
It is monogamous and lives in small family groups, moving through the canopy, feeding mainly on leaves but also seeds, fruits, and flowers.
The groups are quite vocal, communicating with other groups by singing, roaring and other vocalisations.
It is a diurnal tree-dweller related to the sifakas and, like all lemurs, it is native to Madagascar.
It is revered by the Madagascan peoples and plays an important part in their myths and legends with various stories in existence accounting for its origin.
The main threats faced by the indri are habitat destruction and fragmentation due to slash and burn agriculture, fuelwood gathering, and logging.
It is also hunted despite taboos against this, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as "critically endangered".
The name "indri" most likely comes from a native Malagasy name for the animal, endrina.
The Malagasy name for the animal is babakoto which is most commonly translated as "ancestor" or "father", but several translations are possible.
"Koto" is a Malagasy word for "little boy", and "baba" is a term for "father", so the word "babakoto" may be translated as "father of a little boy."
The father-son dynamic of many of the babakoto origin myths helps to explain the Malagasy name.
It has long, muscular legs which it uses to propel itself from trunk to trunk. Its large greenish eyes and black face are framed by round, fuzzy ears that some say give it the appearance of a teddy bear. Unlike any other living lemur, the indri has only a rudimentary tail. The silky fur is mostly black with white patches along the limbs, neck, crown, and lower back. Different populations of the species show wide variations in color, with some northern populations consisting of mostly or entirely black individuals. The face is bare with pale black skin, and it is sometimes fringed with white fur.
Reference: Wikipedia
Copyright © 2022 Dick Keely All Rights Reserved
Julie Oldfield | 21-Feb-2017 01:53 | |