Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Despite the fact that none of the island's snakes poses a danger to humans, the Malagasy
are particularly wary of some species. The blood-red tail of one harmless tree snake
(
Ithycyphus perineti
), known to the Malagasy as
fandrefiala,
is believed to have powers
of possession. It is said to hypnotise cattle from up high, then drop down tail-first to
impale its victim. Similar paranormal attributes are bestowed on other Malagasy reptiles.
The chameleons, for example, are generally feared by the Malagasy, and when fascinated
vazaha
go to pick one up, this is often met with surprised gasps from the locals. Another
reptile deeply embedded in the folklore is the
Nilecrocodile
(
Crocodilus niloticus
) which,
although threatened throughout the island, takes on spiritual roles in some areas (see
Lake
Antanavo
,
Click Here
)
.
THE FROG CHORUS
Daniel Austin & Kelly Green
Stopandlistentothesoundsoftherainforest.Youmaythinkthosemysteriouschirps,
squeaks and clicks are birds and insects, but in most cases you would be wrong. Un-
like the stereotypical Amazon jungle, where birdcalls permeate the air, the dominant
soundintheMalagasyrainforestisthefrogchorus.Yettheseremarkablecreaturesare
largely overlooked by tourists.
Frogs are the only amphibians in Madagascar - no toads, newts, or salamanders
here - but with over 260 described species, and countless more in the pipeline, they
outnumber Madagascar's lemurs, chameleons and snakes combined. Compare this to
Britain with just one native frog (plus three introduced by man).
All but two of Madagascar's frogs (99%) are endemic. These frogs come in all col-
ours and sizes: from tiny
Stumpffia pygmaea
measuring just 1cm fully grown to the
giant
Hoplobatrachus tigerinus
reportedly reaching 17cm in length. In their struggle
for survival Malagasy frogs have evolved numerous ingenious forms of protection. In
Masoalawestumbledacross
Mantidactylus webbi
,lookingforalltheworldlikeatuft
of moss - the perfect camouflage amongst the damp green rocks of its habitat. In con-
trast, the eye-catching mantellas are anything but camouflaged. Their dramatic col-
ourswarnpredatorsthattheycontainalkaloidtoxins,makingthemaratherunpleasant
snack. Another frog it would be wise to avoid eating is the aptly named tomato frog.
When attacked these obese, bright red frogs gum up the predator's mouth with a thick
gluey substance secreted from their skin. The unfortunate attacker is forced to release
its prey and cannot eat for some days after.
Each December, for just three or four days,
Aglyptodactylus
frogs gather in huge
numberstomate.Malesandfemalesaliketurnabrightcanaryyellowfortheoccasion.
With hundreds of thousands of individuals gathered in a single marshy pool the noise
of their croaking is deafening. This bizarre sound, coupled with the carpet of gar-
