The Coquerel's Sifaka (Propithecus coquereli) is a mid-sized lemur featured in the Zookeepers Animal Pack DLC for Planet Zoo.
Zoopedia Description[]
General[]
Population In Wild: Less than 47,000
Found only in the Northwestern rainforests of Madagascar, Coqurerl's Sifaka (Propithecus coquereli) is a critically endangered, mid-sized species of Lemur. Their body is covered in distinctly colored fur that is white with dark red patches along the limbs, chest, and back, which may fade into grey fur along the tail. The face is black, with yellow eyes and a white stripe on the nose, and is framed by a white ruff. No distinct sexual dimorphism occurs in this species, with both sexes looking alike, although females are sometimes reported grow slightly larger then males, Coqurerl's sifakas' body length ranges from 42cm to 54cm, with the tail adding additional 50cm to 60cm and they weigh between 3.7kg and 4.3kg.
Coqurerl's sifakas are Critically Endangered due to deforestation and habitat fragmentation. While the areas they occur in are protected reserves, political instability and lack of law enforcement mean that habitat loss continues, as well as poaching for bushmeat. Introduced predators like dogs and cats additionally pressure the remaining population.
Social[]
Coquerel's sifakas live in matriarchal groups where all females, including immature females, are dominant over males. Troops live in fairly small territories that may overlap with those of neighboring groups, but groups rarely interact.
Reproduction[]
Female Coquerel's sifakas enter oestrus in January and February, during which time they mate with males from their own troop or from visiting neighboring troops. Males fight each other to impress the female and increase their chance of mating, though she doesn't always select the victorious males for copulation.
Pregnancies last for about 162 days, after which females give birth to a single offspring. The infant will stay with its mother for the first few weeks and be weaned after 5-6 months, form which point on it will be independent.
Sexual maturity is reached at 2.5 to 3 years old. Females often remain in their natal group, while males disperse and may join other unrelated groups
Animal Care[]
PREFERRED OBJECTS | |
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Monkey Chow · Fruit and Herbs · Insects | |
FEEDING STATIONS | |
FOOD ENRICHMENT |
HABITAT ENRICHMENT |
COMPATIBLE ANIMALS |
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Trivia[]
Zoopedia Fun Facts[]
- Like all lemurs, sifakas have a toothcomb - tightly standing lower incisors that are used to comb through fur or assist feeding.
- Polyandry in sifakas is thought to have evolved to reduce male infanticide by making it impossible to trace paternity in a group.
- When in oestrus, female sifakas are only receptive for one day during the mating season.
- Sifakas have a unique method of terrestrial locomotion: instead of walking on all fours like other lemurs, they hop on their hind legs and use their tail for balance.
- Traditionally, Malagasy culture prohibits killing of sifakas due to a legend in which a sifaka leapt to save a boy falling from a tree when he was stung by bees that attacked him while collecting honey. Since that day all lemurs were considered sacred to locals.