(indri indri)
The Indri is perhaps the most familiar and most charismatic of all of Madagascar's lemurs. It is the largest surviving member of the lemur family. Unusually amongst lemurs it is very vocal. Its characteristic eerie wailing song is unforgettable and provides an abiding memory to a visit to its rain-forest home. As well as its unique song, it is visually unmistakable with its dense black and white pelage, long legs, tailless body and prominent tufted ears.
It is found in lowland and mid-altitude rain-forest in the central-eastern and north-eastern parts of the island. It is strictly diurnal and lives in small family groups of two to six animals comprising an adult pair with maturing offspring of varying ages. The calls are used to maintain a territory within the forest and maintain a separation from adjacent groups. Most of the calling occurs from dawn until 11:00 am. The hotel where we were staying near Andasibe was a couple of kilometers outside the park but we could hear the Indri calling before breakfast time.