Meet the Indri — Madagascar’s largest living lemur and the primate most likely to make you spill your morning coffee if you’re within earshot.
This magnificent black-and-white fluffball calls the eastern rainforests of Madagascar home, and it has decided, apparently through generations of democratic consensus, that the best way to chat with its neighbors is to absolutely *scream* about it.
The Indri (scientific name: *Indri indri*, which sounds like scientists were so startled by its call that they could only repeat themselves) is a genuinely remarkable creature. It’s the largest lemur currently roaming the planet, sports a striking tuxedo-style fur pattern that suggests it’s perpetually overdressed for the rainforest, and has ditched the tail entirely — a bold lifestyle choice that sets it apart from basically every other lemur on the island.
But the real showstopper is the communication department. Rather than opting for subtle chittering or polite little hoots like some of its more socially calibrated primate cousins, the Indri communicates through a series of haunting, wailing calls that can carry for up to two miles through dense forest. Witnesses frequently describe the sound as somewhere between a whale song and a tornado siren — which is genuinely impressive for an animal that weighs around 15 pounds.
These vocal performances, called “songs,” are used to defend territory, locate family members, and presumably inform every creature within a two-mile radius that the Indri has *thoughts* and *feelings* and would very much like everyone to know about them right now.
Sadly, the Indri is critically endangered, meaning these gloriously dramatic rainforest announcements are becoming rarer by the year. Conservation efforts are ongoing, because a world without an animal that communicates entirely in alarming sounds would frankly be a quieter but considerably less interesting place.
*Source: Boing Boing*
Original story via Boing Boing
