This is the beautiful dancing Sifaka of western Madagascar, occurring in rainforests, dry thickets and spiny forests. The species is also one of a few lemurs famous for clambering about on mean surfaces - in this case not limestone but the intensely thorny plants of the spiny forests. We saw a few families of Sifaka in Berenty, in far southern Madagascar, foraging in dry rainforests and climbing on the towering Madagascar Ocotillo (Alluaudia procera) in the spiny forest.
Despite being the most widespread of all the Sifakas, Verreaux's Sifaka is still classed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN. The species is heavily reliant on intact habitats, even if fairly small, and these are becoming fewer as farming further encroaches on what little native vegetation is left in Madagascar. They need large trees, especially Ocotillo, and while modelling suggests a slow population decline, halting or reversing this will be hugely challenging.
Another amazing animal that our grandchildren might only get to see if things drastically change.
