Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
FAUNA
Compared with the breathtaking ecosystems of mainland Africa, Madagascar's fauna has
far more subtle qualities. A combination of ancient Gondwana stock and 165 million years
of isolated evolution has created a haven for a plethora of strange and unusual creatures.
Here are a seemingly random collection of animal groups that had the opportunity to prove
themselvesintheabsenceoflargepredatorsandherbivores.Theresulting180,000species,
existinginhabitatsfromrainforeststocoralreefs,bringhumanopportunitytoo:fornumer-
ous truly unique wildlife encounters.
INVERTEBRATES
There are well over 150,000 species of invertebrate in Madagascar,
the majority in the eastern rainforests. To spot them turn over leaves and logs on the forest
floor, peer very closely at the foliage or switch on a bright light after dark. Although per-
haps creepy, and undeniably crawly, they do contribute substantially to the experience of
wild areas on the island and - provided you can suppress the spine shivers - your mini-sa-
faris will be hugely rewarding.
It is a difficult task to pick out the most impressive invertebrates, but notable are the
hugely oversized
pill millipedes
(
Sphaerotherium
spp) which roll up when threatened to
resemble a stripy brown or green golf ball. Among the forest foliage are superbly camou-
flaged
praying mantises, net-throwing spiders
that cast their silk nets at fliers-by, and
nymphs
and bugs of all shapes, colours and adornments. Among the leaf litter there are
spectacular striped and horned
flatworms,
the otherworldly
ant lions
(see boxes on
Click
Here
and
Click Here
) and vast numbers of wonderful
weevils,
the most spectacular being
the bright red giraffe-necked weevil (most easily seen at Ranomafana National Park). The
species gets its name from the male whose tremendously long neck is almost three times
the length of his body!
One invertebrate whose presence will not be welcomed by most visitors is the
leech,
but
it is a more fascinating creature than you might at first imagine; turn to the box on
Click
Here
to discover why.
There are around 300 species of
butterfly
in Madagascar, 211 of which are endemic to
theisland.Themosteye-catching aretheheavily-patterned swallowtails, andthenymphal-
ids with their dominant blue and orange liveries. Madagascar's
moths
are significantly
older in origin and are probably descendants of the Gondwana insects marooned on the is-
land. This explains the diversity - 4,000 species - including many groups active during the
day,fillingnichesthatelsewherearetherealmofbutterflies.Mostdramaticisthehugeyel-
low comet moth (
Argema mittrei
) with a wingspan of up to 25cm, and the elaborate urania
