Mistletoe does not only serve to incite smooches on Christmas, but it’s also a tasty snack for Diademed Sifakas (Propithecus diadema) in Madagascar. When resources are few and far between in the winter, Sifakas rely on mistletoe and this reliance can reduce group cohesion in fragmented forests. Mistletoe may bring humans together, but it makes Sifakas spread apart!

[Photo by Meredith Lutz and caption by Maggie Creamer]

Irwin, M. T. (2007). Living in forest fragments reduces group cohesion in diademed sifakas (Propithecus diadema) in eastern Madagascar by reducing food patch size. American Journal of Primatology: Official Journal of the American Society of Primatologists, 69(4), 434-447.