CHRISTOPHE COURTEAU / NPL / MINDEN PICTURES (ORANGUTAN); ROY CALDWELL, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY (OCTOPUS); PETE OXFORD / MINDEN PICTURES (SIFAKA, BIG);
ENRIQUE LOPEZ-TAPIA / NPL / MINDEN PICTURES (DANCING SIFAKA SEQUENCE)IN THE GROOVE
Researcher Hantanirina
Rasamimanana witnessed what
appeared to be a wild dance party
in a forest in the African country
of Madagascar. She was observing
sifakas (a type of lemur), when
some of the animals climbed down
from their perch in the trees to a
clearing. Standing upright, they
threw out their arms, moved their
hips, jumped up, and clicked their
heels midair before landing. They
continued these movements, hop-
ping sideways until they crossed
the clearing. “I was mesmerized,”
Rasamimanana says. “It looked like
they were dancing.” Their moves
may fool some into thinking they
can boogie. But they jump and jive
like this because it’s the fastest
way for them to move across the
ground, which helps them avoid
predators such as snakes. They can
make these motions because of
their flexibility and strong legs.
Next up: Dancing With the Stars?THE SIFAKA SHIMMY
A sifaka does its signature dance-
like leap across the ground.NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS 15