Indri (Indri indri)

Indris are endangered, tree-dwelling lemurs native to Madagascar. They're known locally as babakotos, which means 'man of the forest' or 'little father' and unlike other lemurs, only have a short stumpy tail. The largest of the living lemurs can climb trees with ease, using their powerful legs to jump through the canopy in leaps of over 10 metres. Indris produce loud territorial calls that can be heard from over 1km away.

What do they sound like?

  1. Calls from a troop of indri

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About the Indri

The Indri (Indri indri), also called the Babakoto, is one of the largest living lemurs. It is a diurnal tree-dweller related to the sifakas and, like all lemuroids, it is native to Madagascar.

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Scientific Classification

Kingdom: Animal (animalia)

Class: Mammal (Mammalia)

Order: Primate (Primates)

Family: Indriidae (Indridae)

Genus: Indri

Species: Indri (indri)

Common Names

Babakoto

Where can I see them?

They can be found in the following habitats:

Conservation Status

The Indri is Endangered (IUCN 3.1)

  1. EX - Extinct
  2. EW
  3. CR - Threatened
  4. EN - Threatened
  5. VU - Threatened
  6. NT
  7. LC - Least concern

Population trend: Decreasing

Year assessed: 2008

What's the threat?

The indri is threatened by the loss of its rainforest habitat for fuel, timber and slash-and-burn agriculture, with destruction occurring even within protected areas. Its habitat is now so fragmented that few areas are thought to be large enough to support viable populations of the species. Many local people consider hunting of the indri taboo or fady due to its perceived resemblance to the sacred ancestors of the Malagasy. However, there are reports that immigrants occasionally kill the species for food. The indri is particularly vulnerable to these threats due to its low reproductive rate.

Information about the threat is provided by the Zoological Society of London's EDGE of Existence programme

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