On their visit to the East-African island, Amido and Purushottama meet and photograph animals they have never seen before
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Why is Madagascar’s fauna and flora so unique? To answer this question requires a small dip into the past and a vague understanding of geology! Everything about the following information is somewhat vague because it is a shifting understanding, not unlike the tectonic plates upon which the whole kerfuffle of our Earth rests so sublimely.
Some 180 million years ago, Gondwana, a supercontinent, contained much of the world’s land. Tectonic-plate shifts, over time (a great deal of time…), caused it to separate into the various continents of the Southern Hemisphere.
Today’s India and Madagascar separated from Gondwana’s east coast (today’s Africa) some 170 to 115 million years ago. About 90 to 66 million years ago, this fragment broke in two.
The future “India” section started drifting north toward Eurasia, eventually ramming into it and causing the Himalayan mountain range to form.
Madagascar, on the other hand, settled about 250 miles off the East Coast of Africa, separated from it by the Mozambique Channel.
Furthermore, 66 million years ago, a massive asteroid (estimated to have been 6 to 9 miles in diameter (10 to 15 km) collided with Earth in the Yucatan Peninsula area, creating a huge crater and causing a mass extinction event. Not only all non-avian dinosaurs, but also about 75% of all life was wiped out.
The impact would have generated a massive shockwave, tsunamis, widespread wildfires, and ejected a large amount of debris into the atmosphere, leading to a disruption of the global climate. Organisms which photosynthesized could no longer do so because of lack of sunshine, and those who were heavily reliant on plants, which photosynthesized, could no longer survive.
“Unfussy insectivores, scavengers and seed eaters,” according to Cody Cottier in Discover Magazine, had the best chance of surviving. Small mammals fit into this niche.
The isolation of Madagascar and the wiping out of almost all existing species created the opportunity for the evolution of the unique species of animals and plants that have emerged here.
The fauna we met along the way
It was on Nosy Komba that we first encountered the ploughshare tortoise, so named because its lower front carapace (shell) juts out not unlike the piece of a plough that gets dragged through the soil.
The length of the male carapace is on average 16 inches (40 cm); their weight is about 20 lbs (10 kg). The female’s carapace length is a bit shorter, on average 14 inches (37 cm) and their weight is about 20 lbs (almost 9 kg).
Ploughshare tortoises are endemic to Madagascar; they are considered the world’s most endangered tortoise. Estimates put the number surviving in the wild at less than 100. They can be found in Baly Bay National Park, where there are breeding programs underway. Poaching to sell on as exotic pets, to China and other Asian countries, is all too common – and this is the reason for their more recent drastic decline.
This pair is doing their best to help the species.
Chameleons
If you look into any tree long enough in Madagascar the shape of a chameleon will emerge. They are everywhere, slow moving, varying in size. They have fascinating hands and feet, and prehensile tails. These tree dwellers are primarily insect eaters and capture their prey by projecting their long tongue. (Their tongue can be twice their body length!) Half of nearly all chameleon species live in Madagascar.
Apparently, most chameleons don’t change color to blend in with their surroundings (as we tend to think) but to express emotions, defend territory, and communicate with mates.
Chameleons photographed by Purushottama.
The smallest chameleon likes to nestle into dry leaves. These do apparently change color for camouflage. The hand belongs to our lovely guide, Dauphin.
There are 50,000 species of spider in Madagascar! This handsome fellow is called the Redleg Orb Weaver, aka Red-legged Golden Orb Weaver. Their webs are about 5 feet in diameter (1.5 meters). Once the web is constructed, the spider lives there permanently. Sometimes they build webs in colonies, covering huge areas with their webs intermeshing. Their main diet is mosquitoes, moths, beetles, wasps and flies. Yum!
One of the most amazing things about being in a Madagascar forest is its sense of friendliness. There are no poisonous snakes; and poisonous spiders are very few in number!
In Masoala National Park on Nosy Mangabe, a couple of kilometers off the northeast coast, near the town of Maroantsetra, our guide pointed out these giant leaf geckos.
They are endemic to Madagascar and its surrounding islands. Arboreal and nocturnal, they thrive in dense jungle forests. Generally they favor earthy or neutral tones, but can lighten or darken their skin depending on their surroundings and the time of day. Their pattern choice mimics bark, moss and the veins on leaves.
The giant leaf geckos are very tree dependent and the intense deforestation that Madagascar is suffering from, has destroyed much of their habitat. Predators, such as snakes and birds, contribute to their demise.
Similar to chameleons, these geckos have long tongues that rapidly extend to catch an assortment of worms, spiders, snails and moths. They have a life span of 10 to 15 years in captivity, naturally less in the wild.
L: Can you see me?
R: Now you can!
Who are you? I’m a giraffe-necked weevil! This young fellow was pointed out by our guide, Dauphin in Ranomafana National Park.
The neck of the male giraffe-necked weevil is three times longer than that of the female. He uses it to fight for the right to mate; males biff each other with their necks, attempting to knock the competitor off the leaf.
The female’s specialty is to create a little secure package from the large leaves which are their food source and their home. After placing a single egg in the package, she snips the leaf off at the stem and lets it fall to the forest floor. The leaf packet then provides an immediate food source for the larva, the next stage of growth. These weevils only eat two kinds of leaf, one of which is perfect for the female’s painstaking task.
Whimsical composition.
An outhouse. Often villages simply had a specified area under a tree where “open defecation” was practiced. Apparently this is still the case for 42% of the population. The cows too are originally from Asia, the Zebu, with that hump on their back. They are able to withstand high temperatures. We watched for a long time but he never managed to open the door.
What to say about lemurs?
An enchanting, even mesmerizing, beautiful, curious mix of cat (their fur), dog (the bark and snout) and monkey (the agility to climb trees and leap from branch to branch).
All lemurs are endemic to Madagascar, which means they are found nowhere else. The isolation of this island, combined with the varied topography, allowed them to evolve into more than 100 different species. The most successful are the ones which are more adaptable in diet and range, such as the black lemur and the ring-tailed lemur.
Ninety percent of lemurs are in danger of extinction – some critically – due to habitat fragmentation and loss, bushmeat hunting, and the illegal pet trade.
The name “lemur” comes from the Latin lemurum (singular), lemures (plural), meaning “spirit of the dead”, because they move so silently.
On Nosy Komba, where we first encountered black lemurs (my first sighting of lemurs in the wild), they are considered sacred – which perhaps accounts for their continued existence there.
Black Lemurs
Only the male is black, with black ear tufts. They seem as curious about us as we are about them. They were not particularly wary of people, coming down from trees when people were around and walking about on all fours.
Black lemurs are about the size of a domestic cat, weighing between 3 and almost 7 lbs (1.5 to 3 kg) and measuring about 18 inches (50 cm) in length; their tail is an additional 2 ft (60 cm).
The female can be greyish or brown on her back and sides, her tummy can be either white or brown, her face grey with white ear tufts. All infants are born brown for camouflage; they grip the mother’s coat while she forages through the trees of the riparian forest in northwestern Madagascar. Male infants change color after five to six weeks.
Researchers have observed black lemurs gently nibbling on millipedes, causing the arthropod to secrete a toxin, which the lemur then rubs through its fur. The toxin acts as an insecticide and an intoxicant! The millipede survives these encounters relatively unscathed. (From the New England Primate Conservancy website: neprimateconservancy.org)
Black-and-white Ruffed Lemurs
Black-and-white ruffed lemurs are critically endangered. They are arboreal and diurnal (active during the day). Hands, feet, tail, and face are all black; the white ruff extends around their neck. Their eyes are bright yellow. They are similar in size to the black lemur. They live in family groups of 2 to 5 members.
We spent a few days on the Ile aux Nattes, which we reached by a dugout canoe from the south coast of Ile Sainte Marie. The French owner of our guest house had brought some black-and-white ruffed lemurs to the island.
They know who they are, these black-and white ruffed lemurs sitting on the sign to our hotel – their namesake.
The first morning we were woken by a noise outside our door; there stood a very well-dressed fellow with perfectly fitting black gloves in need of a little breakfast – but oh so polite in the asking. We could not resist.
Black-and-white ruffed lemurs are primarily fruit eaters (frugivorous) and are particularly adept at hanging by their feet to pluck ripe fruit. They also eat seeds and nectar.
They have a mutualistic relationship with the traveler’s palm or traveler’s tree (ravenala to the Malagasy). They are able to open its large flowers and are rewarded with a drink of nectar. Through this process, the pollen collects on their faces, and is then passed on to the next tree they visit. Thus they are pollinators.
Ring-tailed Lemurs
Named from the 13 alternating bands of black and white on their tail.
Perhaps the most familiar of the lemur family. Cat-sized but with a 24-inch (60 cm) tail that seems to be the optimal length for lemurs. They live in social groups from 3 to 25 individuals.
Females are dominant and remain in the birth group; once males reach three years old they move on. A soft purr is used to call the young. They spend 40% of their time on the forest floor foraging for leaves, flowers, insects and, on occasions, fruit, herbs, and small vertebrates. Southwestern Madagascar is their home – arid open spaces and forests. They have a lifespan of 16 years.
We didn’t meet up with a ring-tailed lemur until near the end of our trip. We had visited a resort near the place we were staying, and on our walk back encountered a very friendly ring-tail. He must have been someone’s pet. He greeted us, climbed on us, pulled our hair, and was generally very sociable!
Purushottama had had a ring-tailed lemur companion when he lived in Madagascar in the early 1970s. It was quite wonderful for him, and for me, to have such a close contact. We were too busy enjoying the little fellow to take any photographs.
Brown Lemur (I think)
A very pretty lemur.
There are many different types of brown lemur, hence my lack of certainty. They are bigger than the other lemurs described so far. Orange-red eyes are their most notable feature. Both males and female look similar. Their habitat is rainforest, dry deciduous forest, and coastal areas. They spend most of their time on the ground and are active day and night. Primarily fruit eaters, though cicadas, spiders and millipedes contribute to their diet. They can tolerate higher levels of toxic plant compounds than other lemurs.
Indri
We arrived late in the evening at our guest house outside Andasibe-Mantadia National Park. We managed to arrange a guide for the following day, since you cannot enter Madagascar’s National Parks unaccompanied. We had to meet early in the morning to stand a chance of seeing and hearing the indri. But we made it!
Indri are the largest lemurs – 24 to 36 inches in height (60 to 90 cm) with a weight of 15 to 22 pounds (7 to 10 kg). They have stubby tails only two inches long. They are diurnal herbivores (eating young leaves, fruit, seeds, flowers and bark) and their intestines have adapted in order to obtain the maximum nutrition from cellulose. They live in the upper canopy of the forest in the northeast of Madagascar. They have a lifespan of 15 to 18 years. (neprimateconservancy.org)
They have been likened to a four-year-old in a onesie!
L: Indri have long powerful legs and shorter arms. They are primarily arboreal and leap gracefully from tree to tree. (They can leap as much as 30 feet between trees.)
R: Standing under a tree and hearing the indri howl is simply thrilling, verging on the sacred. Apparently they howl a variety of songs.
Look at those ears and hands.
L: They were mostly concerned with their own affairs, but did peer down from time to time.
R: Catching a few rays through the greenery.
They know how to make themselves comfortable in a treetop despite their size.
Indri live in family groups of 2 to 6 individuals. They have a slow reproductive rate, not reaching sexual maturity until between seven and nine years old; they produce only one offspring every two to three years.
Indri are critically endangered and do not survive in captivity. The only chance for the survival of this smallesthauntingly beautiful species is for humanity to conserve sufficient habitat and find ways to protect them from poachers. This applies to all the lemurs!
Related article
- Madagascar: A journey through time – Amido describes a journey to the East-African island in the Indian Ocean, with photos by Purushottama
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