Silky sifaka

Silky sifaka
Conservation status
	; Critically Endangered (IUCN 3.1)
	CITES Appendix I (CITES)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Primates
Suborder:	Strepsirrhini
Family:	Indriidae
Genus:	Propithecus
Species:	P. candidus
Binomial name
	Propithecus candidus; A. Grandidier, 1871
	Distribution of P. candidus
Synonyms
	P. sericeus Milne-Edwards and A. Grandidier, 1872;

The silky sifaka (Propithecus candidus),^[1] is a large lemur with long, silky white fur. It has a small range in northeastern Madagascar, where it is known locally as the simpona. It is one of the rarest mammals on Earth, and is listed by the IUCN as one of the world's 25 most endangered primates. The silky sifaka is one of nine species in the genus Propithecus. The species is only found within a few protected areas in the rainforests of northeastern Madagascar, with most of the remaining population in Marojejy National Park and Anjanaharibe-Sud Special Reserve.

The silky sifaka has a social structure, and lives in groups of two to nine individuals. It spends most of its day feeding and resting, and spends time to social behaviors like playing, grooming and travelling. Females occasionally take priority over males during feeding. Like other eastern sifakas, it eats mainly leaves and seeds, but also fruit, flowers, and even soil on occasion.

It is a seasonal breeder and only mates one day a year during the start of the rainy season. As with other sifaka species, non-maternal infant care is common. Group members of all ages and both sexes will often groom, play, occasionally carry, and even nurse infants that are not their own. The silky sifaka vocalizes frequently, and relies strongly on scent for communication.^[2]

References

↑ Groves C.P. 2005. Order Primates, in Wilson D.E. & Reeder D.M. Mammal species of the world. 3rd ed, Johns Hopkins University Press, pp. 111–184. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0
↑ Mittermeier R.A. et al 1994. Lemurs of Madagascar. Illustrated by S.D. Nash. Conservation International. ISBN 1-881173-08-9

[MSW3-1] Groves C.P. 2005. Order Primates, in Wilson D.E. & Reeder D.M. Mammal species of the world. 3rd ed, Johns Hopkins University Press, pp. 111–184. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0

[2] Mittermeier R.A. et al 1994. Lemurs of Madagascar. Illustrated by S.D. Nash. Conservation International. ISBN 1-881173-08-9

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