Golden-Crowned Sifaka
A golden-crowned sifaka dangles from one hand. Click image for larger version.
The golden-crowned sifaka is the third species of sifaka, and also the smallest. It is the only sifaka with ear tufts. It is also one of most recently discovered species of diurnal lemurs. They were first photographed in 1982 by Ian Tattersall, and originally identified as a subspecies of Propithecus diadema. In 1988, then-Lemur Center Director Elwyn Simons described the golden-crowned sifaka in a scientific journal and based upon genetic analysis declared it to be an entirely different species.
Titus, the last surviving captive golden-crowned sifaka, passed away in 2008. The wild population in Madagascar is estimated to be no more than 300 individuals. It is therefore critical to establish a new captive colony if this species is to survive.