Clips
Music played
10 items-
Noah and the Whale 5 Years Time
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Olly Murs Busy
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Ludovico Einaudi Divenire
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Katy Perry Firework
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Reel 2 Real I Like to Move it
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Mumford & Sons Little Lion Man
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Elbow One Day Like This
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Rox Sad eyes
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Kasabian Thick as thieves
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Paloma Faith Upside down
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Coquerel’s sifaka
The endearing Coquerel’s sifaka is an endangered species of lemur that lives in the north-west of Madagascar. Its habitat is constantly being reduced and fragmented by the annual burning of forest, which creates new pasture for livestock. It is also, sadly, under threat from hunting.
Find out more about nursing sick baby sifakas
All sifakas are named after their characteristic "shih-fak" alarm call and they are known for their amazing ability to move about in the trees. They leap vertically, with their bodies in an upright position, and cling to tree trunks and branches. Their powerful back legs allow them to make leaps of more than 9 metres. The terrestrial locomotion of sifakas is also unique - when it is too far to leap, they hop and skip across the ground, while holding out their arms for balance. When the whole group does it, it looks like a wonderful dance.
Coquerel's sifakas live in family groups of, usually, three to six individuals. Females are dominant over males, this is common amongst lemurs, and they generally remain with their birth group. Males, on the other hand, will change groups several times during their lives. A family group will spend up to half their day foraging for leaves, flowers, buds, fruit and bark to eat.
These lemurs usually give birth to a single baby but the mothers can’t carry them when moving around. So, from day one, the young infant has to cling to its mother – initially on her front and then, after about a month, on her back. If the babies become weak, they can fall off and never make it back to her again. In bad years in the wild, infant mortality can be as high as 90%! The Duke Lemur Centre work hard to ensure the survival of each and every captive baby sifaka born. -
Greater bilby
The Greater bilby is a rabbit-sized nocturnal marsupial which is now restricted to the arid wastelands of northwest and central Australia. It is in decline due to habitat loss but the biggest threat comes from feral cats and the non-native fox.
Meet three baby bilbies
The bilby is sometimes called a rabbit bandicoot because of its long and almost hairless ears. As well as amplifying sound, they are believed to help regulate body temperature and are also extremely manoeuvrable – they can be rotated, held flat against the body, stuck out sideways, or even folded in half! Bilbies hind legs are also long and slender, with a large “middle toe”, similar to a kangaroo. The term bilby is taken from the Aboriginal language and means long-nosed rat – this is due to their long muzzle, typical of bandicoots.
Bilbies are omnivores and do not need to drink water. They get all the moisture they need from their food, which includes insects and larvae, spiders, fruit, fungi, bulbs, seeds and very small animals.
Strong forelimbs with long claws make it a brilliant burrower and, in sandy soil, they can disappear from sight within three minutes! They typically make up to twelve burrows, which they move between, using them for rest, shelter from predators and to escape extreme temperatures. Their burrows go down in a steep spiral, to a depth of around 2 or 3 metres, and the steep descent makes it very difficult for predators to get in.
Bilbies are predominantly solitary apart from when they come together to breed, which can occur at any time of the year. The pregnancy of the bilby, at 12-14 days, is one of the shortest of all mammals and females can produce up to four litters a year! Thanks to the ease with which they breed, this cute creature is now being successfully captive bred and re-introduced back to the wild.
Credits
- Series Producer
- Annie Heather
- Presenter
- Martin Hughes-Games
- Executive Producer
- Sara Ford
Commercial Availability
Episode 4 is available in the following formats:
