We have been traveling all over the world lately but we haven’t been to Madagascar for a little while.  Since I consider it to be one of the best places to find interesting animals, I thought we would head there today.  We are going to get a chance to look at one of the largest Lemur species in the world.  The Indri which is also known as the Babakoto is of course native to the 4th largest island in the world, Madagascar.

The Indri is usually about 2 feet in length and can weigh up to about 21 pounds which is why it is one of the largest lemur species living today.  Interestingly enough this lemur hardly has a tail yet they tend to spend the majority of their time hanging out in the trees.  I guess the trees are pretty nice in Madagascar so why not spend most of your time in them?  If they are not blessed with a long tail like the Spider Monkey then how do they survive so well in the trees? Great question and thank you for asking.  Although they lack prehensile tails the Indri has long slender hind legs. This gives them the ability to move quickly and efficiently through the canopy.  In fact they are able to leap more than 10 meters (30′) as they ascend their arboreal home.

The Indri is also known for their loud and eerie call.  They are so loud that they can be heard up to 2 kilometers away. For my American friends that is about 1.2 miles. I will see if I can dig up a sound clip so we all have the privilege of listening to the majestic call of the Babakoto. If you are visiting Madagascar and want to take in a concert then I suggest hanging out near some of these lemurs between 7 am and 11 am since they are generally more active during this time.  The more I think about it, humans are probably most vocal during this time as well.  Come on, we all know you like to sing “Baby Got Back”  in the shower before heading out to work.

Indri Fast Facts – The Indri is a monogamous animal for life and will only find a new mate after their partner has passed away.

Good news! I managed to find a short video clip highlighting the calls of the Indri.  I don’t know if I could listen to this sound all day.  Enjoy!