Why Do Sifakas Dance?

Verreaux's sifaka from southern Madagascar is known as the dancing lemur for the way it moves across open ground. ... Within their own group, sifakas communicate with barks, growls, howls, shrieks, and “hums” and their name is derived from their “shifak” alarm call which is used when a potential ground predator is seen.

What are sifakas known for?

Sifakas are beautifully colored. They may have different colored limbs and bodies, and often their heads are multicolored with patches of black, white, gray, or golden-colored fur. These vegetarian primates eat leaves, flowers, fruit, buds, and tree bark—sifakas have been known to eat about a hundred different plants.

What is the dancing lemur?

A troop of Verreaux's sifakas are a lively bunch. When these lanky, white-and-brown primates aren't leaping through the canopy of Madagascar's southern spiny forests, they're bounding across the ground on their hind legs as if riding a pogo stick. The sifakas are aptly nicknamed the “dancing lemurs”.