Sambirano Avahi

The Sambirano woolly lemur (Avahi unicolor), also known as the Sambirano avahi or unicolor woolly lemur, is a species of woolly lemur native to western Madagascar.^[4]

Description

The species are located in Cacamba, on the peninsula of Ampasindava, in northwestern Madagascar . This sub-species is distinguished form Avahi occidentalis by its lack of the white facial outline and the lack of the black hairless circles that surround the eyes . The face itself is slightly more pale than the upper head which creates a slight contrasting facial outline caused by the fur length and consistency (facial hair is short and not curled in comparison to the rest of the body) . The contrasting facial outline has a small fur spot above the nose and the forehead that presents the appearance of a dark line . Its eyes are maroon with black, hairless eyelids. The snout is also black and hairless, but the corners of the mouth have a white tint. The fur of the head and body is a light gray-beige, and has a sightly curled, freckled appearance. Its tail is gray-brown or reddish-brown, while the base is a pale brown or cream color. The back is slightly darker in the shoulder-blade area. The lower body's limbs are an off-white color, while the fur on the chest, belly, and inner limbs is fairly thin and light-gray in color.^[3]

Habitat

This species is very poorly known, since so far there have been just a few specimens found. They might be living in the Sambirano region in north-western Madagascar. Probable limits of their distribution are the Sambirano River in the north and the Andranomalaza or Maevarano River in the south.^[1]

Conservation

As It is not known to which degree the species is hunted, deforestation is probably the main threat it has to face. It is listed on Appendix I of CITES. Since there are only a few known specimens in protected areas, Additional research and extending the reserves would be essential.^[1]

References