Coquerel's Sifaka Lemur - Propithecus coquereli - Profile

Coquerel’s sifaka lemur, scientific name Propithecus coquereli is a diurnal, medium-sized lemur of the sifaka genus Propithecus. It’s native to northwest Madagascar.

Coquerel’s Sifaka Lemur Propithecus coquereli profile

In this article, I am going to talk about Coquerel’s sifaka lemur lifespan, profile, facts, distribution, scientific name Propithecus coquereli.

Coquerel’s sifaka lemur Propithecus coquereli was once thought of to be a subspecies of Verreaux’s sifaka, however was finally granted full species level and is listed as endangered resulting from habitat loss and hunting.

In popular tradition, it’s recognized for being species of the title character within the children’s TV show Zoboomafoo.

Distribution

This species happens at altitudes lower than 300 ft in the dry deciduous forests of northwestern Madagascar, together with coastal forests. It happens from the Betsiboka River, as much as the Maevarano River, and is widespread in massive space between these rivers.

In-depth surveys of the species’ distribution conducted in 2009, 2010, and 2011 led to the confirmation of its presence in most forest fragments between these rivers.

Nonetheless, its eastern distribution limits are unclear, between the Sofia and Bemarivo Rivers, the species has twice been reported to be absent.

Similarly, the southern part of the inter-river system between the Bemarivo and Betsiboka Rivers, the place little is known in regards to the presence of the species, requires surveys.

Coquerel’s sifaka lemur Propithecus coquereli Description

Its dorsal pelage and tail are white, with maroon patches on the chest and parts of the limbs. The coat is most dense.

Its face is naked and black apart from a distinctive patch of white fur alongside the bridge of the nose. Its bare ears are also black, and its eyes are yellow or orange.

The bottom of the lemur’s arms and ft are black, whereas the thighs, arms, and chest are a chocolate brown.

Like all lemurs, Coquerel’s sifaka has a toothcomb, used for grooming and sometimes scraping fruit off a pit.

Coquerel’s sifaka lemur Propithecus coquereli Diet

Herbivorous diet of the Coquerel’s sifaka lemur Propithecus coquereli varies by season. In the moist season, it eats immature leaves, flowers, fruit, bark, and deadwood.

Within the dry season, it eats mature leaves and buds. It may browse practically 100 plant species, however, the majority of its feeding time is targeting about 10% of those.

Since it has a really fibrous diet, Coquerel’s sifaka has an enlarged cecum and very lengthy colon that helps facilitate digestion.

These lemurs spend 30-40% of their day foraging, particularly within the morning, noon, and night.

Females typically take leadership roles throughout foraging and exert their dominance by consuming the preferred meals or denying the males food until they’re happy.

These lemurs are useful to the setting because they help seed dispersion. Captive Coquerel’s sifakas eat shining leaf sumac and mimosa.

Lifespan/Longevity

Within the wild, Coquerel’s sifakas live between 27 and 30 years. The oldest recognized particular person within the wild was 30 years old.

In captivity, they dwell between 25 and 30 years, and the oldest recognized captive individual, held on the Duke Lemur Center, lived to be 31 years old.

Coquerel’s sifaka lemur Propithecus coquereli Behavior

Coquerel’s sifaka lemur Propithecus coquereli lives in matriarchal teams of about three to 10 individuals.

It’s diurnal and primarily arboreal. A lot is known about its conduct from observations within the wild and in captivity.

Coquerel’s sifakas spend nearly all of their time in areas of simply 2-3 ha. Nonetheless, they’ll live in areas with 4-8 ha.

Although their home vary might overlap with different teams of sifakas, they keep away from one another to avoid aggression.

When pleasant Coquerel’s sifakas meet, they greet by rubbing their noses collectively.

Matriarchy is rare within the animal kingdom as a complete, however common amongst lemurs.

A matriarchal system is especially pronounced in Coquerel’s sifaka. All grownup and even most subadult females are dominant over males.

Females have preferential entry to meals and different sources. When a feminine is shopping space or tree, a male waits for her to complete earlier than he strikes there to feed.

If he will get in the best way of the feminine, she may lunge, smack, or chew him.

The male then reveals submissive conduct by rolling his tail between his legs, chattering softly, and baring his enamel in a grimace before shortly leaping out of her way.

When mating, Coquerel’s sifaka generally practices polyandry. A feminine might select to mate with just one male, however most frequently she mates with a number of, from different visiting teams, in addition to from her personal.

Males compete for entry to sexually receptive females. Nonetheless, the winner of a fight won’t necessarily be the one she selects for breeding. The factors by which she chooses a mate are evidently more complex.

Reproduction

Female Coquerel’s sifakas select their mate(s) whether or not from intragroup males or males from outside teams.

They’ve synchronized estrus in January and February. Infants are born in June and July after a gestation interval of around 162 days. Usually, one toddler is born throughout Madagascar’s dry season (June–July).

Newborn lemurs have a median weight of 100 g, although it can fluctuate between 85 and 115 g. A toddler clings to its mom’s chest till a few months or so after delivery, then transfers to her back.

Infants are weaned and develop into totally impartial around 6 months of age. Grownup measurement is reached at 1–5 years.

Males and females develop into sexually mature around two- to three-and-a-half years old, although some do not need their first offspring till they’re six. Hybrids have been recognized to occur with some species. One is P. verreauxi.

Communication

Coquerel’s sifaka makes use of a variety of auditory, visible, and olfactory alerts to communicate. ‘Sifaka’ is a Malagasy title that comes from the lemurs’ characteristic “shif-auk” sound.

The primary syllable is a low growl that “bubbles” within the throat, and the second is a clicking sound like an amplified hiccup.

The “shih-fak” call is used to warn fellow group members of a possible floor predator or to threaten enemies and intruders. Coquerel’s sifaka is very territorial.

Locomotion

In the trees, Coquerel’s sifaka strikes by vertical clinging and leaping. It maintains an upright posture when at relaxation or when propelling itself between branches or trunks.

This type of arboreal locomotion is an attribute of most, if not all, lemurs. This particular lemur can leap from tree to tree up to 35 ft.

It has the extraordinary ability to leap to spiny timber and exactly place its arms and ft so that it will not hurt itself.

Sometimes, Coquerel’s sifaka lemur Propithecus coquereli descends to the bottom to cross open areas. Its terrestrial locomotion is exclusive to its species.

Like Verreaux’s sifaka, it moves in a series of bipedal hops with its arms thrown out to the edges for steadiness.

Nonetheless, whereas Verreaux’s sifaka bounds sideways and crosses its legs one in entrance of the other, the Coquerel’s sifaka lemur Propithecus coquereli bounds forward, like a kangaroo. It leans in the course of its bounce to achieve forward momentum.

Coquerel’s Sifaka Lemur – Propithecus coquereli – Profile