What type of primate is a sifaka?
Coquerel's sifaka scent-mark with anogenital glands. It is not entirely clear what information is conveyed in these scents, beyond the demarcation of territory. Coquerel’s sifakas, like many lemurs, have been studied to help scientists learn about the evolutionary history of primates, including humans. Since they are so endangered and hunted in Madagascar, the ecotourism industry has benefited greatly because of the sifaka and brings people into the country. Scientists study the sifaka to get insight of evolution, and they have been the subject of those researching evolution of color vision, paternal care, matriarchal primate societies and causes of speciation. Though its populations
Coquerel's sifaka Coquerel's sifaka will descend to the ground to cross open spaces. Its terrestrial locomotion is unique to its species. Like Verreaux's sifaka, it moves in a series of bipedal hops with its arms thrown out to the sides for balance. However, whereas Verreaux's sifaka bounds sideways and crosses its legs one in front of the other, the Coquerel's sifaka bounds forward, like a kangaroo. It leans in the direction of its jump to achieve forward momentum. A study at Duke University’s Primate Center examined feeding behaviors of captive sifakas to determine their handedness. Given chopped fruits and vegetables, adult male