Golden-Crowned Sifaka
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.
Current captive population size consists of only three males, all at the DLC. The young male, Valens, now nearly five years old, is the only golden-crowned sifaka ever to have survived in captivity from a captive conception. Unfortunately Valens' mother died when he was only five months old. Unless more animals can be imported from Madagascar, the future of this species in captivity looks as grim as its continued survival in the wild.
Feeding
The golden-crowned sifaka feeds on a wide variety of mostly unripe fruit, seeds, nuts, shoots, young and mature leaves and flowers. During the dry season when food is scarce the sifakas might feed on bark.
Fact Sheet
Order: Primates; Suborder: Prosimii
Family: Indriidae; Genus: Propithecus
Species: tattersali
Related Species
See Diademed sifaka
Key Facts
Adult Size : 6.6 - 8.8 pounds
Social life : Sociable, groups of 3 - 10 animals, average is 5
Habitat : northwestern moist forest
Diet : Seeds, unripe fruit, young and mature leaves and flowers
Lifespan : 25 - 30 years
Sexual maturity : 2 - 3 years
Mating : very seasonal, late January
Gestation : approximately 165 days, infants are born in late June
Number of young : one per year
DLC Naming theme : Roman Emperors (Titus, Agrippa, Valens)
Malagasy names : Ankomba Malandy, Simpona
Interesting Facts
- The three golden-crowned sifaka at the DLC are the only three in captivity in the world.
- Valens is the only surviving captive-born golden-crowned sifaka
- Golden-crowned sifaka are one of the most endangered lemurs. There are estimated to be less than 10,000 left in the wild.
Reproduction
In Madagascar these sifakas breed in January, and births occur in July after a gestation of 165 to 170 days. Like all sifakas, the young will hold on to the mother's belly fur for the first few weeks of life, and will then switch to a jockey position on her back when they get older. At about the age of five or six months, the infants are fully weaned, and from this point on their mothers will refuse any attempts by the infants to "hitch a ride," except during extremely stressful events such as a predator attack. Fortunately for the infants, weaning time coincides with the season of very high availability of the tender new growth most favored by the animals, so the young have little difficulty obtaining high quality food.
Social Behavior
Like all sifakas, the golden-crowned are strictly diurnal, becoming active after dawn and retiring for the evening well before the sun has set. Group size ranges from three to ten animals, although an average group will number five or six. Although groups often contain more than one adult animal of each sex, groups with more than one successfully breeding female have not been observed in the wild. During the mating season, males will migrate from group to group, but females will remain in the same group their entire lives. These sifaka defend territories that range in size from 6-12 hectares, and the animals will range greater distances in the dry season when quality food is more difficult to come by.
Habitat/Conservation
Golden-crowned sifakas have an extremely limited distribution, and are found only in dry forest in northeastern Madagascar between the Loky and Manambato Rivers near the town of Daraina. The total range of P. tattersalli encompasses an area only 30 to 35 km across at its widest point. In fact, it has one of the smallest ranges and documented populations of any species of lemur. It occurs in both deciduous and semi-evergreen forest and no part of its range is protected. In addition, the sifaka's preferred forest habitat in this area is not continuous, but instead is fragmented. Hence, some groups are now physically and genetically isolated from the main population.
The major threats to this sifaka are from slash and burn agriculture. Although local people consider it fady (forbidden) to eat this lemur, newcomers to the area who are becoming more abundant with each passing year have no such beliefs. Due to these factors, the golden-crowned sifaka is considered to be one of the top ten most endangered primates in the world.