# Sifaka — Facts, Threats & Conservation

*Genus Propithecus — nine recognised species*

> Sifakas are nine species of lemur in the genus Propithecus, found only in Madagascar, famous for sideways bipedal hopping on the ground; several species are Critically Endangered as an estimated 80–90% of the island's original forest has been lost to tavy, charcoal production and the pet trade.

**IUCN status:** Varies by species — several Critically Endangered, others Vulnerable or Endangered  ·  **WARN range:** Madagascar, Dry deciduous and spiny forest in the west and south

## Quick facts
| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Species | Nine in the genus Propithecus |
| Locomotion | Vertical-cling-leap in trees; bipedal sideways hop on ground |
| Endemism | Madagascar only — part of ~90% vertebrate endemism |
| Diet | Leaves, fruit, flowers and bark |
| Social groups | Typically 3–10 individuals |
| Main threats | Forest loss from tavy and charcoal; pet trade; dogs |

## Scientific classification
- **Kingdom:** Animalia
- **Phylum:** Chordata
- **Class:** Mammalia
- **Order:** Primates
- **Family:** Indriidae
- **Genus:** Propithecus
- **Species:** Nine recognised species

## Conservation status
- **Status:** Varies — several Critically Endangered
- **Population:** Declining across most species; no reliable total
- **Trend:** Decreasing
- **Assessed:** Varies by species
- **CITES:** Appendix I
- An estimated 80–90% of Madagascar's original forest has been lost. Tavy and charcoal production are driven by rural poverty; conservation must pair forest protection with alternatives.

## Key facts: Sifaka
- Sifakas are lemurs in the genus Propithecus — nine species, all endemic to Madagascar.
- They vertical-cling-leap in trees but bound bipedally sideways across open ground, with arms raised — the gait that earns them the name 'dancing lemurs'.
- Madagascar holds roughly 90% vertebrate endemism; sifakas are part of an isolated primate radiation found nowhere else.
- An estimated 80–90% of Madagascar's original forest has been lost; several sifaka species are Critically Endangered.
- Tavy slash-and-burn, charcoal production and the pet trade are the main drivers — rooted in rural poverty and weak alternatives, not in subsistence farming alone.
- Sifakas cannot cross open farmland safely; ground crossing exposes them to dogs, humans and starvation between forest fragments.

## Why sifakas dance
A sifaka in the canopy moves by vertical clinging and leaping — launching from a vertical trunk, rotating in the air, and landing on the next tree feet-first. That works until the gap is too wide. Then the animal descends.

On the ground a sifaka cannot walk on all fours efficiently because its legs are built for leaping, not quadrupedal walking. Instead it rises on its hind legs and hops sideways, arms out for balance, covering open ground between forest patches. The gait looks choreographed; it is biomechanics. The same adaptation that makes sifakas superb canopy leapers makes them awkward and exposed on the ground — which is precisely where deforestation forces them.

## Madagascar's endemism and what sifakas represent
Madagascar split from mainland Africa around 88 million years ago and has been isolated long enough for life to evolve in near-total separation. Roughly 90% of the island's vertebrates — mammals, reptiles, amphibians and freshwater fish — occur nowhere else. Lemurs are the most visible part of that story; sifakas are one of the indriid lineages within it.

That endemism is also a vulnerability. A species found only on Madagascar has nowhere else to go when forest disappears. Sifakas that once moved between connected stands now face open maize fields, cassava plots and charcoal-scarred hillsides. Each crossing is a gamble against feral dogs, hunting and the simple fact that a leaf-eating lemur cannot feed in a crop field.

## Which species are in trouble?
Coquerel's sifaka of north-western dry forest is Critically Endangered, confined to fragments around Ankarafantsika and the Antrema biocultural reserve. Perrier's sifaka of the far north is Critically Endangered, with a tiny range. Diademed and silky sifakas of eastern rainforest are Critically Endangered or Endangered, depending on the assessment. Verreaux's sifaka remains more widespread in the south and west but is declining as spiny forest is cleared.

The common thread is forest loss. Tavy — traditional slash-and-burn — clears land for subsistence crops when families have no other income and no alternative fuel. Charcoal production removes living trees from the same fragments sifakas depend on. The pet trade removes individuals. These pressures are linked to rural poverty and the absence of affordable cooking fuel and agricultural alternatives on much of the island — not to farmers acting without cause.

## What conservation requires
Protecting sifakas means protecting connected forest and reducing the need to clear it. That includes community-managed reserves such as Antrema, where local people benefit from ecotourism and sustainable harvest rather than from converting the last dry forest to charcoal. It includes reforestation corridors that let sifakas move between fragments without crossing open ground. And it includes enforcing CITES Appendix I protections against the pet trade — every sifaka belongs in Madagascar's forest, not in a cage abroad.

Blaming subsistence farmers without addressing poverty, fuel costs and land tenure solves nothing. The farmers clearing tavy are often doing so because charcoal sales or maize plots are the only cash available. Conservation that works pairs forest protection with alternatives — efficient cookstoves, community forestry income and legal recognition of community land rights.

## What WARN does
WARN publishes free, sourced species education, including for Madagascar's lemurs — among the most endangered primates on Earth. Sifakas are CITES Appendix I listed and cannot be kept as pets; support habitat protection appeals that address the poverty context behind forest loss rather than blaming subsistence farmers in isolation.

If this guide helps you understand wildlife and the pressures it faces, a gift to WARN supports habitat protection and free public education in our partner countries.

## Frequently asked questions: Sifaka
### Why do sifakas dance?
They bound bipedally sideways across open ground when gaps between trees are too wide to leap. Their legs are built for vertical leaping, not quadrupedal walking, so they rise on hind legs and hop with arms raised for balance.

### How many sifaka species are there?
Nine recognised species in the genus Propithecus, all endemic to Madagascar. Several are Critically Endangered, including Coquerel's, Perrier's and silky sifakas.

### Are sifakas endangered?
Several species are Critically Endangered. An estimated 80–90% of Madagascar's original forest has been lost, and sifakas cannot survive in open farmland. Ground crossing between fragments is a leading cause of mortality.

### Why is Madagascar forest being cleared?
Tavy slash-and-burn for subsistence crops, charcoal production for cooking fuel and logging for timber. These pressures are driven by rural poverty and the lack of affordable alternatives — not by subsistence farming alone.

### What do sifakas eat?
Sifakas eat Leaves, fruit, flowers and bark. Sifakas are nine species of lemur in the genus Propithecus, found only in Madagascar, famous for sideways bipedal hopping on the ground; several species are Critically Endangered as an estimated 80–90% of the island's original forest has been lost to tavy, charcoal production and the pet trade.

### Where do sifakas live?
Sifakas live in Madagascar, Dry deciduous and spiny forest in the west and south. Sifakas are nine species of lemur in the genus Propithecus, found only in Madagascar, famous for sideways bipedal hopping on the ground; several species are Critically Endangered as an estimated 80–90% of the island's original forest has been lost to tavy, charcoal production and the pet trade.

### Are sifakas dangerous?
Sifakas are domesticated animals and are not dangerous to people in the wild-predator sense. Sifakas are nine species of lemur in the genus Propithecus, found only in Madagascar, famous for sideways bipedal hopping on the ground; several species are Critically Endangered as an estimated 80–90% of the island's original forest has been lost to tavy, charcoal production and the pet trade. Usual risks are husbandry and handling, not unprovoked attacks.

### How long do sifakas live?
A precise wild lifespan for sifakas is not firmly established in the sources cited on this guide. Sifakas are nine species of lemur in the genus Propithecus, found only in Madagascar, famous for sideways bipedal hopping on the ground; several species are Critically Endangered as an estimated 80–90% of the island's original forest has been lost to tavy, charcoal production and the pet trade. Where longevity figures appear in the literature they vary by region, sex and whether animals are wild or captive.

### How big is a sifaka?
Sifakas are nine species of lemur in the genus Propithecus, found only in Madagascar, famous for sideways bipedal hopping on the ground; several species are Critically Endangered as an estimated 80–90% of the island's original forest has been lost to tavy, charcoal production and the pet trade.

## Sources
- [IUCN Red List — Propithecus coquereli](https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/18355/115979579)
- [CITES Appendices](https://cites.org/eng/app/appendices.php)
- [Re:wild — Madagascar lemur conservation](https://www.rewild.org/)

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Full guide: https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/sifaka