Rare Lemur Born at the Houston Zoo

 

 

 

 

 

The Houston Zoo is proud to announce the birth of a rare Coquerel's sifaka (pronounced CO-cue-rals she-FAK) baby.  The birth is a first for the Zoo and the first birth for the proud parents, mom Zenobia and dad Dean.

 "Mother and baby are doing just fine," said Houston Zoo Primate Supervisor Lynn Killam.  "Zenobia is being a great mom.  The baby is nursing and gaining weight and getting stronger by the day," added Killam. 

The birth is a major milestone for the Houston Zoo.  "This is a very significant event for the Houston Zoo," said Killam.  "We are one of only 5 zoos in the U. S. that are home to sifaka.  Dean and Zenobia bonded quickly after arriving at the Zoo in 2007.  So, the birth is an exciting development for us," added Killam. 

Mom and baby may be seen at the sifaka exhibit at Wortham World of Primates daily during regular Zoo hours, weather permitting.  

 Zenobia gave birth to the as yet unnamed baby at 5:30 p.m. on January 6, 2009.  "The baby weighed 85 grams at birth, about 3 ounces" said Killam.  "And Zenobia was a great mom and did everything right from the start, washing him from head to toe and started nursing," added Killam. 

Dean and Zenobia are descendants of the seminal North American colony that was established in the early 1980s at the Duke Lemur Center in Durham, North Carolina.  Dean is a seven-year-old male who comes to Houston from the Los Angeles Zoo.  Zenobia is a seven-year-old female and came to the Houston Zoo from the Saint Louis Zoo. 

 

 

So, what IS a sifaka?  If you've never heard of a sifaka, you're not alone.   Sifaka are some of the world's most peculiar primates - the large arboreal, acrobatic lemurs of Madagascar.  

There are nine living species of sifaka, long-limbed, long-tailed, vertical clingers and leapers.  The Houston Zoo's species are Coquerel's sifaka, named for the 19th century French naval surgeon and entomologist, Charles Coquerel who collected insects in Madagascar and on neighboring islands. 

In nature, home to Coquerel's sifaka is northwestern Madagascar, specifically the lowland dry forests to the north and east of the Betsiboka River.  The sifaka's range is not very broad and its numbers are not very large, so sifakas appear as endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.  Their diet in nature consists of leaves, buds, flowers, and fruit.  At the Houston Zoo, their diet in large part consists of a very special leaf-eater biscuit, freshly cut leaves (they really like plumbago, cut every day from plants growing on Zoo grounds), vegetables, legumes, nuts and fruit. 

 Madagascar is home to over 150 species of mammals, at least 90% of which are endemic, meaning they are found nowhere else on earth.  The most intriguing and famous of these are lemurs.  More than 70 species and subspecies of lemurs call Madagascar home.
 In addition to sifaka, the Houston Zoo is home to red-fronted lemur, ring-tailed lemur, and Madagascar's largest mammalian carnivore, the fossa.