A lemur of northeastern Madagascar’s rainforests. It leaps between trees and eats leaves, fruit and other plant foods.
The tail is very short and the ears are tufted. Coat patterns vary between individuals and regions, combining colors including black and white.
Across four forest areas in eastern Madagascar, researchers observed 21 indri groups for 30 months between 2004 and 2014, recording 496 songs. Field notes and video helped them identify individual singers. Breeding pairs and young group members sang together, and more than 70% of songs were coordinated as duets. The co-singing analysis covered 223 songs from 45 animals.
From descending phrases in 475 songs, researchers found that intervals between notes shortened toward the end, while females consistently had shorter intervals than males. Young animals’ rhythms did not differ substantially from adults’. The authors suggest duetting may be associated with pair cohesion and territorial signaling, but did not experimentally test those functions.
IUCN Red List · Critically Endangered (CR) · Global
The IUCN global assessment published in 2020 classifies the indri as Critically Endangered (CR) and reports a decreasing population trend. It projects ongoing and future losses in habitat area, extent and quality, together with unsustainable hunting, and also discusses climate change and wildlife trade.