Wild Facts

Photo by Jeff Gibbs (Wikimedia)

Today is going to be a very fashionable Wild Fact. Why? Because we are heading to northeastern Madagascar to learn about the Silky Sifaka, who gets their name from their incredibly white, silky fur. Unfortunately, the Silky Sifaka is considered to be one of the rarest mammals on earth and is listed on the Top 25 Most Endangered Primates. Yes, the Silky Sifaka, also known as the Simpona, is a primate, and more specifically, a lemur. While are chances of finding this beautiful lemur may not be good, I think it is important that we take a second to learn a little more about this white silky primate.

Ghosts of the Forests

As mentioned, the Silky Sifaka inhabits the mountainous regions of northeastern Madagascar. They are known locally as the “Ghosts of the Forests”, as a result of the flashes of white that can be seen jumping from tree to tree. These little ghosts are capable of leaping up to 9.1 m (30 feet) between the trees. This is pretty impressive for a lemur that is only 1.1 m (3.5 feet) in length and weighs a mere 6.4 kg (14 lbs). This attribute does make things tough for researchers though, as they will have a hard time keeping up with these quick, long jumping primates.

Photo by Jeff Gibbs (Wikimedia)

One Date a Year

The Simpona spends the majority of their day feeding or resting in groups of two to nine individuals. It sounds like the y live the good life, doesn’t it? I will explain why this isn’t the case soon. When they are not resting or eating, the Silky Sifaca likes to play, groom, travel and of course, they love long walks on the beach. Okay, maybe I made that last one up but you have to admit that it did sound like an online dating profile. Speaking of dating profiles, the Silky Sifaca saves their date for one specific day before the rainy season begins. That’s right, they mate for just one day!

People vs. Nature

Humans have made the life of the Simpona extremely difficult. People tend to burn their forests to create rice fields, illegally harvest the trees they call home and if this isn’t bad enough, we will poach these animals for food. And the result of our actions? Well, it is believed that there are fewer than 1000 individuals, and possibly as few as 100, remaining in the wild. Hopefully, the protected areas that have been established will help preserve this incredible creature.

Thanks for reading today’s Wild Fact. Enjoy the rest of your day and I will see you tomorrow for another fun animal.

Zoologischer Garten Magdeburg /Magdeburg , Germany/

I find it funny that the hardest part with writing these Wild Facts is coming up with the opening line for the post.  I guess I am just not very “sharp” this evening.  I am usually pretty good at small talk but after 200 and some facts it is getting difficult.  What the heck am I going to come up with as I get closer to 1000? Maybe I should hire someone to write a bunch of ice-breaking opening statements. Any takers? . Well today we are going to look at another rodent.  Come on you know you enjoyed yesterday’s rodent so why not learn about another one? We are going to look at the Indian Crested Porcupine. This particular porcupine is a member of the Old World Porcupines and can be found throughout the Middle East and Southern Asia.

The Indian Crested Porcupine can weigh up to 20 kg (44 lbs) and get as long as 1 metre (3′) so they are fairly big rodents.  Much larger than our cute, little Dormouse which we saw yesterday.  Generally you don’t want to mess with porcupines but you definitely don’t want to mess with the Indian Crested Porcupine. They are known to be extremely defensive and obviously have very sharp quills that can do some major damage.  Their quills are the most distinctive feature so let’s take a second to learn a little more about them, shall we?  The longest quills of the Indian Crested Porcupine can grow up to 1/3 of their body length. Of course I will do the math for you.  This means that a 3′ long porcupine can have quills up to 1 foot long.  YIKES! These longer quills have often been known to provide a fatal blow to the oncoming predator.

Photo by Krzysztof Kozlowski

Of course not all of their quills are this long but the shorter ones also play an important role in self-defense.  The Indian Crested Porcupine is able to create a very loud rattling noise with the shorter quills.  This is their attempt to be proactive and warn everyone in the area that they are coming through and don’t want to be messed with! Next time you are walking through the “rough” part of town just bring a baby rattle with you.  Let me know how it works out! As a result of the dangerous quills only a few animals are brave enough to attack a Indian Crested Porcupine including tigers and leopards.

Indian Crested Porcupine Fast Fact – A male porcupine is called Boar while the female is called a Sow.  A group of porcupines are known as, wait for it……… a “prickle”.  I know! Finally a clever naming convention!

Have a great day everyone!