Lac Alaotra Bamboo Lemur (Reed Lemur)

The centre of the island is a wide plateau of uplifted rock. Here still there are thousands of earthquakes every year. Over time, millions of these tiny earthquakes has torn a vast hole right in the central uplands forming Madagascar's biggest lake, Lac Alaotra.

Around the edges of this massive body of water, there are reed beds. But the vegetation is not fixed, it floats on water which is 3 meters deep. It is tricky and inaccessible to most species. But there is one creature who is adapted to live here and ONLY here.

A primate, Lake Alaotra Reed lemur. (above picture a reed lemur sleeping)

It is small enough to climb up along the thin leaves. It can survive with a diet of tough grass. Unlike other primates, this one lives his whole life over water in this reed beds only in this lake. To find enough food, they have to move from reed bed to reed bed.

They can't swim and they try not to... They first climb up on a grass. Then due to their weight the grass incline towards another reed bed grass. When the needed amount of shift achieved, they jump in to another tree. (above picture a mother and her child crossing the reed bed)

A Reed Lemur family.

Mother and child feeding.

More Info:

Active mainly during daylight hours. Feeds principally on four food items: the pithy stems of papyrus (Cyperus madagascariensis), tender shoots of reeds (Phragmites communis), and two types of grasses (Echinocochla crusgalli and Leersia hexandra). They live in family groups of up to a dozen members and defend territories ranging in size from less than one hectare to eight hectares. Young are born from September through February and twins are common. The northerly population has not been censused, but probably has also been significantly reduced. Its entire range appears to be rather less than 200 km² and it occurs only up to elevations of 750 m.

Threat Level: Critically Endangered

The species occurs as two sub-populations, a small one in the northern part of the lake around the Belempona Peninsula and a larger one in the adjoining marshlands along the lake's southwestern shores bounded by the villages of Anororo, Andreba and Andilana-Sud.

Reference:

• BBC Madagascar Series
• The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™

Paradise-flycatcher

A red female Paradise-flycatcher is busy building the nest.

Red Paradise-flycatcher males have long tail feathers and bright blue ring around their eyes.

Some males turn completely white. In the above picture a red female and a white male is constructing a nest. It is mostly made out of leaves and grass woven together with cobwebs. It takes up to days to complete a nest. There are loads of interferences when the couple is trying to built their nest.

Some males interfere their work based on pure jealousy. Some birds break down the nest purposely to issue a warning by giving a territorial threat as shown in the above picture. Days of work is just torn apart in minutes. Competition for territory is this much fierce in forest.

Reference:

BBC Madagascar Series

Madagascar's Top Predator - Fossa (Giant Mongoose)

Fossa is a cat-like, carnivorous mammal that is endemic to Madagascar who is the top predator in the island. Fossa eats Lemurs.

A male Fossa climbing the tree.

A female is resting on a branch on the mating season. She has chosen a branch which just support her own weight and of a male. As a male approaches towards her if she approves him she'll allow him to mate. If she doesn't she'll go to a thinner branch as the male cannot come near her.

She is only fertile only few days a year. So setting her self in this kind of a branch is a nice way of advertising of her availability. This method has been working for so long for females.

Threat Level: Vulnerable

Reference:

BBC Madagascar - Island of Marvels Series

Giraffe weevil

The Giraffe weevil is a weevil endemic to Madagascar. It derives its name from an extended neck much like that of the common giraffe. The giraffe weevil is sexually dimorphic.

This is a male. It uses its long neck for fighting. But the female is not having a neck as long as this.

This female is starting an ambitious construction project, making a nest to lay her egg.

Using her powerful legs, the female starts to fold the leaf in half. A male is right next to her in this image.

She then curves up the end of the leaf. Inside the curve she lays a SINGLE egg. All around the forest edge, females are busy curling the leaf edges.

Each female seems to have her own design of rolling leaves.

When she finally snip off the leaf edge, it falls off to the forest floor to hatch. All this effort is just for one egg.

Reference:

BBC Madagascar - Island of Marvels Series

Madagascar Tenrec

"Tenrec" one of Madagascar's own inventions. Tenrec is having the distinction of giving birth to more babies than any other mammal on Earth. Sometimes such as 32!

Babies.

Threat Level: Least Concern

Reference:

BBC Madagascar - Island of Marvels Series

Madagascar Map

Reference:

http://www.familytours.co.uk/madagascar/index.php

Madagascar

Millions of years ago a great slab of land broke apart when forming continents. It was in between Africa and India. It's one of the oldest islands on Earth. Isolated from main lands for millions of years. Nearly thousand miles in length from end to end.

The spine of mountains running length of the island divide the island in to two parts where each having its own unique characters, blocks the rain from blowing in from the East. Therefore East part of the island is full of tropical forests and rain. Where west and Southern coast is dry land. Southern part is having the most extreme weather conditions.

Totally cutoff from the rest of the world these species in Madagascar have evolved for millions of years. These species in Madagascar are so rare that more than 80% of them are found nowhere else on Earth.

Reference:

BBC Madagascar - Island of Marvels Series