Milne-Edwards's sifaka (''Propithecus edwardsi''), or Milne-Edwards's simpona, is a large

arboreal Arboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some animals may scale trees only occasionally (scansorial), but others are exclusively arboreal. The hab ...

, diurnal

lemur Lemurs ( ; from Latin ) are Strepsirrhini, wet-nosed primates of the Superfamily (biology), superfamily Lemuroidea ( ), divided into 8 Family (biology), families and consisting of 15 genera and around 100 existing species. They are Endemism, ...

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

to the eastern coastal rainforest of

Madagascar Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...

. Milne-Edwards's sifaka is characterized by a black body with a light-colored "saddle" on the lower part of its back. It is closely related to the

diademed sifaka The diademed sifaka (''Propithecus diadema''), or diademed simpona, is an endangered species of sifaka, one of the lemurs endemic to certain rainforests in eastern Madagascar. Along with the indri, this species is one of the two largest living l ...

, and was until recently considered a

subspecies In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...

of it. Like all

sifaka A sifaka (; ) is a lemur of the genus ''Propithecus'' from the family Indriidae within the order Primates. The common name is an onomatopoeia of their characteristic "shi-fak" alarm call. Like all lemurs, they are found only on the island of Ma ...

s, it is a

primate Primates is an order (biology), order of mammals, which is further divided into the Strepsirrhini, strepsirrhines, which include lemurs, galagos, and Lorisidae, lorisids; and the Haplorhini, haplorhines, which include Tarsiiformes, tarsiers a ...

in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Indriidae The Indriidae (sometimes incorrectly spelled Indridae) are a family of strepsirrhine primates. They are medium- to large-sized lemurs, with only four teeth in the toothcomb instead of the usual six. Indriids, like all lemurs, live exclusively on ...

. The species' name honors French zoologist

Henri Milne-Edwards Henri Milne-Edwards (23 October 1800 – 29 July 1885) was a French zoologist. Biography Henri Milne-Edwards was the 27th child of William Edwards, an English planter and colonel of the militia in Jamaica and Elisabeth Vaux, a Frenchwoman. Hen ...

(1800–1885).

Conservation status

Milne-Edwards's sifaka is categorized as endangered by the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

, and is listed in

CITES CITES (shorter acronym for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also known as the Washington Convention) is a multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals from the threats of inte ...

Appendix I. As of 2008, there were estimated to be approximately 28,600 individuals left with only about 3,500 of those remaining in protected areas. It remains threatened by habitat loss, hunting and may be sensitive to a changing climate.

Anatomy and physiology

Milne-Edwards's sifaka is the second largest species in ''Propithecus'', and one of the larger diurnal lemur species overall. The average weight of a male Milne-Edwards's sifaka is and for females it is . The body length excluding the tail is for males and females measure . The tail is slightly shorter than the body, averaging in length or about 94% of the total head and body length. The Milne-Edwards's sifaka has a typical ''Propithecus'' body shape with orange-red eyes and a short, black, bare face ringed by a puffy spray of dark brown to black fur. The majority of its coat is dark brown or black long silky fur, but on the center of the sifaka's back and flanks is a brown to cream colored saddle shaped area which is divided in half by a line of dark fur along the spine. The shape and coloration of the saddle patch vary by individual. The Milne-Edwards' sifaka exhibit neither

sexual dimorphism Sexual dimorphism is the condition where sexes of the same species exhibit different Morphology (biology), morphological characteristics, including characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most dioecy, di ...

nor

sexual dichromatism Sexual dimorphism is the condition where sexes of the same species exhibit different morphological characteristics, including characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most dioecious species, which consis ...

. As with all lemurs, the Milne-Edwards's sifaka has special adaptations for

grooming A groom (short for bridegroom) is a male participant in a wedding ceremony. Groom or grooming may also refer to: Occupations * Groom (profession), a person responsible for the feeding and care of horses * One of the competitors in combined drivi ...

, including a

toilet-claw A grooming claw (or toilet claw) is the specialized claw or nail on the foot of certain primates, used for personal grooming. All prosimians have a grooming claw, but the digit that is specialized in this manner varies. Tarsiers have a grooming ...

on its second toe, and a

toothcomb A toothcomb (also called a tooth comb or dental comb) is a Dentition, dental structure found in some mammals, comprising a group of front teeth arranged in a manner that facilitates grooming, similar to a hair comb. The toothcomb occurs in Lem ...

. The hands and feet of the lemur have prehensile "thumbs" and big toes, which allow it to maintain a superb grip on trunks and branches. The pads of its fingers and toes are rough and have a large contact area. Its nails are also sharp and pointed, which allows them to dig in if it slips. The big toe of the Milne-Edwards's sifaka and indrids in general is longer and has a deeper cleft compared to that of lemurids. This is thought to reflect stronger grasping abilities.

Locomotion

The arboreal lifestyle of ''P. edwardsi'' demands high coordination, a well-developed grip, and considerable acrobatics. This lemur moves by vertical clinging and leaping, meaning it maintains an upright position leaping from tree trunk to tree trunk and moving along branches. It leaping between trees, the Milne-Edwards's sifaka performs a 180 degree twist in midair so that it is facing the incoming landing target. Primarily movements of the arms but also those of the tail are used to adjust the body's rotation and stability on the fly. When landing, the Milne-Edwards's sifaka swings its tail and outstretched forearms downward to help keep the body forward much like a

long-jumper The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a gr ...

. It hands hind legs first. The tail and one arm is flung forward turing takeoff. Milne-Edwards's sifakas can probably leap between . The lemur rarely descends from the relative safety of the canopy, so spends little time on the ground. ''P. edwardsi'' will solely use trees to traverse its habitat, however if forced to cross open area like roads it will use a bipedal sideways hop. The Milne-Edwards's sifaka can hang from its hind legs upside-down. The sifaka practices climbing and leaping in its infancy when it ventures from its mother's back. It is not uncommon for infant lemurs to fall, whereupon the mother quickly comes to the infant's assistance. Adult lemurs typically do not fall although they may occasionally lose their grip if the bark of the tree shears off from beneath their fingers. Lemurs may carry food while they travel in their hands, though they prefer to place the objects in their mouth. Genus Propithecus Feet

Ecology

Geographic range and habitat

Milne-Edwards's sifaka is

to the island of

off the southeastern coast of

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

. Milne-Edwards's sifaka is found in

primary Primary or primaries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Primary (band), from Australia * Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea * Primary Music, Israeli record label Work ...

and secondary

rainforests Rainforests are forests characterized by a closed and continuous tree Canopy (biology), canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforests can be generally classified as tropi ...

on the southeastern part of the island at elevations between . Milne-Edwards' sifaka has the southernmost range of the diademed sifakas. The Mangoro and Onive rivers border the northern part of its range and its southern range extends to

Andringitra National Park Andringitra National Park is a national park in the Haute Matsiatra region of Madagascar, south of Ambalavao. The park was established in 1999 and is managed by the Madagascar National Parks Association. It was inscribed in the World Heritage Sit ...

and the Rienana River.

Sympatric relations

The following lemur species can be found within the same geographic range as the Milne-Edwards's sifaka: * Eastern woolly lemur (''Avahi laniger'') * Greater dwarf lemur (''Cheirogaleus major'') * Aye-aye (''Daubentonia madagascariensis'') * Common brown lemur (''Eulemur fulvus'') * Red-bellied lemur (''Eulemur rubriventer'') * Golden bamboo lemur (''Hapalemur aureus'') * Eastern lesser bamboo lemur (''Hapalemur griseus'') * Greater bamboo lemur (''Hapalemur simus'') * Small-toothed sportive lemur (''Lepilemur microdon'') * Brown mouse lemur (''Microcebus rufus'') * Black-and-white ruffed lemur (''Varecia variegata'')

Behavior

The behavior and social organization of ''P. edwardsi'' is particularly well studied. The Milne-Edwards's sifaka is arboreal, diurnal, territorial, and group-forming. Females are dominant over males, typical of lemurs but extremely rare in all other primates.

Diet

The Milne-Edwards's sifaka's diet is composed primarily of both mature and immature leaves and seeds, but they also regularly consume flowers and fruit. They also supplement their diet with soil and subterranean fungus. In the process of foraging, the Milne-Edwards' sifakas range an average of per day.

Social organization

Milne-Edwards's sifakas form multi-male/multi-female, multi-age groups of between three and nine individuals with a mean group size of 4.8. Depending on the number and gender of individuals, the group may be

polygynandrous Polygynandry is a mating system in which both males and females have multiple mating partners during a breeding season. In sexually reproducing diploid animals, different mating strategies are employed by males and females, because the cost of gam ...

polyandrous Polyandry (; ) is a form of polygamy in which a woman takes two or more husbands at the same time. Polyandry is contrasted with polygyny, involving one male and two or more females. If a marriage involves a plural number of "husbands and wives ...

polygynous Polygyny () is a form of polygamy entailing the marriage of a man to several women. The term polygyny is from Neoclassical Greek πολυγυνία (); . Incidence Polygyny is more widespread in Africa than in any other continent. Some scholar ...

, or

monogamous Monogamy ( ) is a relationship of two individuals in which they form a mutual and exclusive intimate partnership. Having only one partner at any one time, whether for life or serial monogamy, contrasts with various forms of non-monogamy (e.g. ...

. Shifts in the number of individuals or the ratio of males and females will affect the social structure. The groups provide protection from predators, while the size is limited by inter-group competition for seasonal feeding resources. Group dynamics are probably dictated by balancing the benefits and costs of predation protection, inter-group competition for food resources, and mating opportunities. About half of Milne-Edwards's sifakas of the individuals of both sexes born in a particular group will emigrate; females leave as juveniles, while males can leave as both juveniles and adults.

Reproduction

Milne-Edwards's sifakas become sexually mature at 2 or 3 years or age. Milne-Edwards's sifakas have one mating season annually during the austral summer in the months of December and January. Females give birth during the austral winter months of May and July after a 179-day gestation.

Research

Most of the research on ''Propithecus edwardsi'' is conducted at

Ranomafana National Park Ranomafana National Park is a national park in southeastern Madagascar, in the Haute Matsiatra and Vatovavy regions. It was established as Madagascar's fourth national park in 1991 following the rediscovery of the greater bamboo lemur (''Hap ...

in Madagascar. Most of the lemurs are collared and the lead females carry a tracking device. Currently there are no captive lemurs of this species.

References

External links

Primate Info Net Eastern Sifakas Factsheet
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1202844 Sifakas Mammals described in 1871 Fauna of the Madagascar lowland forests Fauna of the Madagascar subhumid forests Taxa named by Alfred Grandidier