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Madagascar. Wildlife. |
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Between 1950 and 1985 one half of Madagascar's rainforest's were destroyed in what can only be described as an orgy of slash and burn farming techniques along with commercial logging, mining etc. There is a good report here about deforestation in Madagascar and the reasons behind it. It is a complicated problem, driven mainly by the fact that Madagascar is one of the poorest countries in the world and people have returned to the land in large numbers to make a living for themselves. We traveled through the highlands and saw the effects of soil erosion caused by deforestation and it is shocking to see. Vast areas of what were once highland forest have turned into savanah with a few species of grasses being the main inhabitants these days. These vast areas of grassland provide little income for the locals and it was in this area of the island we passed through empty , deserted villages where people had been forced to move on and make a living elsewhere. When the fertile soil is washed away by rainfall there is little if any nutrients left to support sustainable crops. Only the toughest non commercial plants survive.
The advent of
satellite photos has brought alarming evidence of deforestation in
Madagascar.
Here the soil can be seen flowing into the Mozambique Channel in a photo taken from space.
Photo courtesy NASA.
Here the soil can be seen flowing into the Mozambique Channel in a photo taken from space.
Photo courtesy NASA.
When Madagascar was first colonised there were 11.2 million hectares of eastern rainforest. Only 7.6 million hectares remained by 1950. By 1985 this had further been reduced to 3.8 million hectares. This corresponds to a an average reduction of 110,000 hectares per annum between 1950 and 1985. And the destruction has continued unabated since then. When you consider that 5% of the world's total species exist in Madagascar and there are 8,000 endemic species of plants alone then the problem becomes even more alarming. Species are disappearing quicker than we can name them. Madagascar is still one of the few places on earth where you can discover a species new to science on your holidays there! We have photos of animals which are new to science in the last few years. We had lunch with a Western Red Forest rat ( Nesomys lambertoni) in the Tsingy despite the guide books saying it is a difficult animal to approach, our one liked our cheese crackers! This little rat is a recent addition to Madagascar's fauna and very little is known about it so it was a great occasion for us to share some time with it.
Madagascar is famous for it's Lemurs which are primates, with their nearest living relatives being Galagos and Pottos in Africa and Lorises in Asia. They are know as prosimians, which means "before the monkeys" and is self explanatory. But there are also more highly specialised mammals to be found there. The Fossa is the largest predator on the island and it hunts lemurs. The Fossa is most closely related to mongoose although it is distinctly cat looking. This is a spectacular mammal and when we first saw one in a zoo in Tana we had no idea what it was at first. It just looked mean and lean. My ambition of seeing one in the wild came true in 2007 when we saw two in Kirindy within an hour of our arrival there.
There are over 8,000 species of plants and nearly all of these are endemic to Madagascar with new ones being discovered every day. Of reptiles and amphibians there are more than 500 species and again all are nearly endemic to the island. Half of the world's Chameleons occur in Madagascar and there are 210 species of Iguanids,Geckos etc. alone. Four of the islands five species of tortoise are endemic and in danger from hunting. There are more than 80 species of snake and some of the Madagascar boas have their nearest living relatives in South America! There are officially no poisonous snakes in Madagascar although some of the larger boas bite.
The insects list is enormous, maybe 100,000 species plus, with the spiders alone having nearly 470 species (so far) endemic to the island. The Madagascar Hissing Cockroach is perhaps the most famous insect from Madagascar and has actually become a household pet around the world (really).
Essential books to bring with you are
Birds of Madagascar. A photographic guide by Pete Morris and Frank Hawkins.
Mammals of Madagascar. A complete guide by Nick Garbut.
Generic Tree Flora of Madagascar. By George E. Schatz
Field Guide to the Palms of Madagascar. By John Dransfield, Henk Beentje, Adam Britt, Tianjanahary Ranarivelo and Jeremie Razafitsalama.
Field Guide to the Reptiles and Amphibians of Madagascar by Glaw and Vences.
The following book is too large to bring with you but is the best source on all the latest work being done in Madagascar. I personally found it a fascinating read and although quite technical and detailed it provided many answers to the questions which I pondered over when putting this website together. Highly recommended for anyone interested in particular aspects of the natural history of Madagascar with all the experts in the different fields contributing indivudual chapters.
The Natural History of Madagascar. Edited by Steven M. Goodman and Jonathan P. Benstead
Please click on the links above left to bring you to the relevant sections on Madagascar's wildlife. The section on insects also includes, for the moment, information on some of the more interesting invertebrates such as crabs,shrimps etc. I haven't even touched on the freshwater fish or maritime habitats for example but I will as time allows. You could devote a whole website to the maritime habitats of Madagascar alone. The coral reefs off the west coast are the third largest in the world.
Please click on the links above left to bring you to the relevant section on the wildlife of Madagascar.
All rights are reserved and all photos on this website are copyrighted 2008.