Sifakas are lemurs. Local Malagasy people named them for the unique call they send echoing through Madagascar's forests, which sounds like shif-auk. These primates spend most of their time in the trees, but don't get around in the same way that other lemurs do. Sifakas stay upright, and they leap from tree to tree by jumping with their hind legs. In this way, they jump distances over 30 feet. They can also move quickly on the ground, by a sideways hop. Sifakas are beautifully colored. 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 There are three species of sifaka: Coquerel's sifaka, the diademed sifaka, and the golden-crowned sifaka. Click on the link below for more pictures of this exotic creature!
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