The Song of the Indri
In the rainforests of Madagascar, an eerie wailing song drifts across the treetops each morning, and a legend says the singers are lost relatives.
What was reported
In the eastern rainforests of Madagascar, around Andasibe, visitors are often woken by an eerie, wailing chorus that rises and falls across the canopy and can carry for kilometres. It is sung by the indri, the largest living lemur.
Malagasy legend tells of two brothers, one of whom stayed in the forest and became the first indri, so the indri are considered relatives, and many communities hold it fady, or taboo, to hunt them.
Explanations offered
Indri families sing together to mark their territory and keep in contact. Each family's song is distinct, and young indri learn to sing in time with their parents. The indri is critically endangered, and its song is one of the most famous sounds of Madagascar.
- When
- Heard every morning
- Where
- Andasibe, Alaotra-Mangoro, Madagascar
- Witnesses
- Malagasy villagers and visitors
- Status
- Explained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.