Studies in 2004 and 2007 compared external proportions, genetics, and craniodental anatomy supporting full species status, which has generally been accepted.

It spends most of its day feeding and resting, though it also devotes a considerable amount of time to social behaviors, such as playing and grooming, as well as travelling.

Males also gouge trees with their toothcomb (a special arrangement of the bottom, front teeth) prior to chest scent-marking.

The species is only found within a few protected areas in the rainforests of northeastern Madagascar, with the majority of the remaining population in Marojejy National Park and Anjanaharibe-Sud Special Reserve.

Habitat disturbance, such as slash-and-burn agriculture (tavy), illegal logging of precious woods (particularly rosewood) and fuel-wood, also occurs within the protected areas where it is found.

[3][4][5] The calls are emitted in a variety of stressful circumstances such as presence of humans, falling trees, terrestrial predators, and after aggression between group members.

[11] By the time German zoologist Ernst Schwarz standardized lemur taxonomy in 1931, P. sericeus had become a taxonomic synonym for the species, with the original name, Propithecus candidus, taking priority.

[16] Russell Mittermeier and colleagues followed by adopting the full species status of the silky sifaka for the second edition of Lemurs of Madagascar in 2006.

[17] Although Groves maintained the silky sifaka as a subspecies in the 3rd edition of Mammal Species of the World in 2005,[18] he recognized it as a distinct species in 2007 by acknowledging the work of Mayor et al. and also noting the additional distinction that the silky sifaka has relatively long molar teeth compared to the length of its toothrow.

[14] In 1974, Tattersall spotted what he thought was a color variant of the silky sifaka north of Vohemar in northeast Madagascar.

Describing it as such eight years later in The Primates of Madagascar, he not only cited its mostly white fur, but also uncharacteristic traits such as a patch of orange on its crown and tufted ears.

It was not observed again until 1986, when a team led by paleoanthropologist Elwyn L. Simons captured specimens for captive breeding and identified it as a new species, named as the golden-crowned sifaka (Propithecus tattersalli) in 1988.

[4][19] The silky sifaka is confined to a small region of northeastern Madagascar within a strip of humid forest stretching from Maroantsetra in the south to the Andapa Basin and the Marojejy Massif in the north.

[21][19] As of 2009, new observations of a few groups of the silky sifaka in unprotected forest fragments adjacent to northeastern Makira (Antohaka Lava and Maherivaratra) may slightly enlarge the known geographic range of this species.

[20][29][31] However, at its southernmost location in Makira (Andaparaty), several groups inhabit forest fragments at an unusually low elevation of 300 m (980 ft).

[20] The silky sifaka inhabits three types of elevation-specific habitats: primary montane rainforest, sclerophyllous forest, and the most elevated portions of low ericoid bush.

[32] In 2008, the silky sifaka was suggested to be sympatric with the red ruffed lemur (Varecia rubra) near Maherivaratra and Andaparaty.

[17][20] Until the 21st century, brief observations and lemur surveys had merely documented the presence of the silky sifaka in special reserves and national parks.

[37] Aggression, which is generally infrequent, occurs primarily during feeding, where females take priority over males,[36] although submissive signals are not always obvious.

[20][38] Prior to this, preliminary studies had reported that folivory accounted for 75% of the diet, while fruits and 15% was seed predation, 7% was flower consumption, and bark and soil made up the remainder.

[17][20][37][39] The dispersal of offspring is thought to be similar to that of other eastern rainforest sifakas, with both males and females transferring out of the group at sexual maturity.

[43] If their vocalizations have specific or varied contexts is uncertain, and as with other primates, arousal level may play a role in the acoustic structure of its calls.

The gouging is thought to serve a role in communication and has no dietary component, since males do not eat the bark or tree gum.

[19] The silky sifaka is the flagship species for the protected areas in which it is found,[38] particularly for Marojejy, which has recently been inaugurated as part of a World Heritage Site cluster known as the Rainforests of the Atsinanana.

[51] Habitat disturbance, such as slash-and-burn agriculture (known locally as tavy), logging of precious woods (e.g., rosewood) and fuel-wood, also occurs within the protected areas where it is found.

[17][20][52] Unlike the golden-crowned sifaka (Propithecus tattersalli), there is no local taboo (fady) against eating this species, and the hunting of bushmeat is a known issue within its range.

[34] The species is restricted to 90,000 ha (350 sq mi) of protected areas, although this may be an overestimation because in much of its range the silky sifaka is not found below 700 m (2,300 ft) in altitude, possibly due to either hunting pressure or habitat preference.

[26][54] Illegal logging of precious hardwoods, such as rosewood and ebony, has become one of the greatest threats to the silky sifaka's habitat, especially since the 2009 Malagasy political crisis.

[52] Local villages adjacent to its remaining protected areas adopted a two-pronged strategy towards silky sifaka conservation education.

First, a "cognitive component" was implemented to increase knowledge and awareness through radio interviews, slide presentations, and the disbursement of literature in twelve primary and secondary schools.