Indri

The indri (/ˈɪndri/ (listen); Indri indri), also called the babakoto,^[6] is one of the largest living lemurs, with a head-body length of about 64–72 cm (25–28+1⁄2 in) and a weight of between 6 and 9.5 kg (13 and 21 lb). It has a black and white coat and maintains an upright posture when climbing or clinging. It is monogamous and lives in small family groups, moving through the canopy, and is herbivorous, feeding mainly on leaves but also seeds, fruits, and flowers. The groups are quite vocal, communicating with other groups by singing, roaring and other vocalisations. Besides humans, it is the only mammal found that can use rhythm.^[7]

It is a diurnal tree-dweller related to the sifakas and, like all lemurs, it is native to Madagascar. It is revered by the Malagasy people and plays an important part in their myths and legends with various stories in existence accounting for its origin. The main threats faced by the indri are habitat destruction and fragmentation due to slash and burn agriculture, fuelwood gathering, and logging. It is also hunted despite taboos against this. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as "critically endangered".

The name "indri" most likely comes from a native Malagasy name for the animal, endrina.^[8] An oft-repeated,^[9][10] but incorrect story is that the name comes from indry [ˈiɳɖʐʲ], meaning "there" or "there it is".French naturalist Pierre Sonnerat, who first described the animal, supposedly heard a Malagasy point out the animal and took the word to be its name.^[8] It has been suggested that he may have heard the local name endrina which is used.^[11] Another Malagasy name for the animal is babakoto [bəbəˈkut]. Babakoto is most commonly translated as "ancestor" or "father", but several translations are possible.^[12] "Koto" is a Malagasy word for "little boy",^[13] and "baba" is a term for "father", so the word "babakoto" may be translated as "father of a little boy".^[14] The father-son dynamic of many of the babakoto origin myths helps to explain the Malagasy name.^{[citation needed]}

Along with the diademed sifaka, the indri is the largest lemur still in existence; both have average weights of about 6.5 kg.^[15][16] It can weigh up to 9.0 kg (19+3⁄4 lb)^[16] to 9.5 kg (21 lb)^[12] and perhaps up to 15 kg (33 lb).^[17] It has a head-body length of 64–72 cm (2 ft 1 in – 2 ft 4+1⁄2 in) and can reach nearly 120 cm (4 ft) with legs fully extended.^[12]

The indri is a vertical clinger and leaper and thus holds its body upright when traveling through trees or resting in branches. It has long, muscular legs which it uses to propel itself from trunk to trunk. Its large greenish eyes and black face are framed by round, fuzzy ears. Unlike any other living lemur, the indri has only a rudimentary tail. The silky fur is mostly black with white patches along the limbs, neck, crown, and lower back. Different populations of the species show wide variations in color, with some northern populations consisting of mostly or entirely black individuals. The face is bare with pale black skin, and it is sometimes fringed with white fur.^[12]

Due to these color variations, Colin Groves listed two subspecies of the indri in 2005: The dark Indri indri indri from the northern part of its range and the relatively pale Indri indri variegatus from the southern part.^[3][16] Later editions of Lemurs of Madagascar by Russell Mittermeier et al. do not recognize this classification,^[12] and recent genetic and morphological work suggests the variation in the indri is clinal.^[18]

Skeleton

Drawing by Alfred Grandidier

A lithograph of "Indris indris," (Brehms Tierleben)