Madagascar's Remarkable Flora & Fauna

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Madagascar's Remarkable Flora & Fauna

The island nation's isolation has given rise to
some of the world's most fascinating plants and animals
.


Woolly Lemur
Also known as the avahi lemur, these tiny creatures — range from 11 to 20 inches in height
— can only be found in Madagascar.


Giraffe Weevil
The elongated neck of this extraordinary insect is an adaptation that assists in nest building. It is only found on the male of the species. Its total body length is a little less than an inch.


Verreaux's Sifaka
This primate's body is so highly adapted to life in trees
that its only means of moving on the ground is by hopping.


Baobab Trees
The national tree of Madagascar, the baobab can attain a trunk diameter of 36 feet. It is hard to determine the plant's age, as the wood does not create growth rings, but recent evidence suggests that the trees live as long as 400 years.


Panther Chameleon
Though it is true that these tropical reptiles can change color, they do not have the full range of the rainbow at their disposal. Each is born within a given color range and those colors change according to temperature mood and light. Further, only the males are brightly colored. Females remain tan and brown.


Moon Moth
Also known as a comet moth, this silk moth is one of the world's biggest.
The male has a wingspan of almost 8 inches.


Octopus Tree

This plant is part of the didiereaceae family, a classification of only four genera and 11 species.


Weevil
Nearly all of the 1300 known weevil species in Madagascar, including the hairy andronomay farut,
above, are endemic to the island


Agonoka Tortoise
One of the rarest land tortoises in the world, this beautiful animal has been diminished by the fires which Malagasy farmers use to promote the growth of grasses that their cattle like to eat. It is estimated that fewer than 1000 still survive in their native region.



 
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