animal of the day

Animal of the day: Silky sifaka! (Propithecus candidus) This small primate calls the jungles of northeastern Madagascar home! It is named for its long, soft fur, which gives it the appearance of a little cloud drifting among the trees! These lemurs are variably social, living in groups of two to nine individuals at a time! Males have a brown patch on their chests, and as they get older, both sexes lose pigment in their face, sometimes leading to a rather pink face! Silky sifakas primarily feed on seeds and leaves found in their environment, and very rarely soil as well for the minerals contained within it! Rather unfortunately, however, the silky sifaka is critically endangered, with less than 2,000 left in the world. None are currently kept in captivity, and conservation efforts are being made to keep this cute creature from going extinct! Image source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silky_sifaka

Animal of the day: Przewalski's horse! (Equus ferus przewalskii) These are the last true species of wild horse; the mustangs of America and their cousins in other countries are descended from previously domesticated animals, therefore making them feral instead of wild! The Przewalski's horse used to range in the vast grasslands of Central Asia, but over the years, its population has begun to decline. However, as of today, approximately 1,360 individuals roam free in their ancestral homeland, and they are one of the many animals that actually inhabit the abandoned Chernobyl Exclusion Zone in Ukraine! Image source: https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/przewalskis-horse