Animal picture of the day: ninja lemurs
Jeremy Hancemongabay.com
August 14, 2011
| Mongabay.com features a Picture of the Day several days a week |
Two Verreaux's Sifaka (Propithecus verreauxi) in a heated chase in Madagascar. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler.
One the ground Verreaux's Sifaka (Propithecus verreauxi) move in sideways jumps giving them the appearance of elegant dancers or dangerous ninjas.
Verreaux's Sifaka live in groups and are active during the day, consuming a variety of vegetation from to bark to flowers, but its primary food is leaves.
Listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red List, the lemur is largely threatened by forest destruction for timber, charcoal, and firewood. Although, this lemur is taboo for many Malagasy hunters, others will kill it for food.
All of the world's lemurs are found only in Madagascar.
Another view of the chase. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler.
For more photos of Verreaux's Sifaka.
