The Wildlife Enthusiast’s Guide to Madagascar
foreign [Music] six of Madagascar's national parks were inscribed together as the country's third and most recent UNESCO world heritage site known as rainforests of the atsanana while the entire country is revered for its wildlife and is home to a diverse collection of Eco regions these rainforests are considered particularly important with levels of endemism reaching 80 to 90 percent each park has unique elements but only one extends down to the warm Waters of the Indian Ocean and is where our Journey Begins masuala is the country's largest national park covering an area of 2300 square kilometers and housing some of Madagascar's most incredible wildlife the Red Rough Lima is one of the Park's most prized inhabitants and in the wild is found only on the maswala peninsula they live in groups that range in size from 2 to 30 members depending on habitat and are the largest members of Le morade one of the five families of Lima weighing up to eight pounds at almost half the size the white-headed or white fronted lemur is from the same family but a different genus and its range is also centered around the park albeit a little larger in this species females can be identified from males by the lack of white hair around the head or at the right time of year the presence of a newborn baby around the belly this patch of rainforest receives some of the country's highest levels of rainfall and is home to a wide array of colorful amphibians insects birds and other small creatures including the world's smallest reptiles the brown leaf chameleon is a member of the precassia genus which has been the subject of much study over the last few decades many of these species are found on the Northern tip of the island and can be as small as 13.5 millimeters from the snout to the base of the tail the large Park boundary includes three Marine parks in addition to a small island two and a half kilometers from the mainland Bay measures less than four kilometers north to south but plays host to an equally impressive collection of Wildlife the III is another of maswala's 19 Lima species and comes from its own monotypic family these primates are nocturnal spending the days sleeping in the trees and the Knights feasting on coconuts and other fruits of the forest thanks to its position in the Indian Ocean which has the warmest surface temperature of all the world's oceans the country's long coastline is about as picture-perfect as it gets and the waters here are packed with Incredible marine life which will explore in three parts throughout this video the coast in this region is used by various species of sea turtle as a breeding site including the green sea turtle although this species can look quite small in terms of sea turtles they are second in size only to the leatherback with some adults weighing over 400 pounds and measuring up to four feet long this is almost double the length of an odd looking creature known as the tentacled Flathead or Indian Ocean crocodile fish this species is an ambush predator and uses its flat profile and tactical coloring to blend into the ocean floor on the other hand the blue-spotted ribbon-tailed Ray takes a less subtle approach to predation digging into the sand to find crabs worms bony fish and other small animals in addition to the neon blue spots on their dorsal side this species has long blue stripes on its tail making it easily identifiable as the name suggests all stingrays of enemas a trait shared by another species to frequent the area the common lionfish also known as the devil Firefish as the peninsula merges into the mainland the mountains of the north rise to the country's highest peak and nestled in between is our next nature-rich destination National Park Sports a fantastic mountainous landscape that makes it quite unique and thanks to its elevation includes patches of Iroquois thickets a shrubland habitat found only at the country's highest elevations the entire park is classified as one of bird life International's important bird areas and is home to some of the country's most colorful species the mammals here are no less of a spectacle and include the silky safaka which is critically endangered with an estimated 250 individuals remaining in the wild no rainforest would be complete without snakes and while the island lacks the highly venomous species of the Mainland it is home to several species of boa the Madagascar tree boa is one of the largest but rarely exceeds six feet in length this species is found at the lower elevations of the park along with the madagascan fire millipede which can be found traversing the forest floor these animals have hundreds of legs that move in a mesmerizing wave that slowly propels the body another slow mover but significantly larger the Parsons chameleon is often cited as the world's heaviest chameleon weighing up to 700 grams it's genus kaluma contains over 40 species all of which are endemic to the island although the Ecology of Marge changes at higher elevations the majority of the park is classified as humid Forest this ecoregion stretches from Marge in the north and hugs the Eastern Coastline all the way down to the bottom of the island it receives the most rainfall and also has the shortest dry season lasting just two months also known as Madagascar lowland Forest this area features two more iconic national parks that will explore before heading Inland to higher elevation is much smaller than both maswala and Marge but what it lacks in size it more than makes up for in biodiversity the giraffe Weevil is found throughout the rainforests of the East and is sexually dimorphic with the neck of the male being two to three times the length of that of the female present in a similar range the lowland streaked 10 wreck is Madagascar's answer to the Hedgehog this colorful Critter is part of a family of mammals consisting of around 30 tenrecs all of which are found nowhere else on Earth subject to an even smaller range the endangered golden Mantella is found only in a handful of isolated locations around the park their color can range from a bright yellow to a deep red but are arguably less eye-catching than the other members of their genus which are known collectively as malagasy poison frogs the diversity of Lima species in andasper mantadia is also impressive and includes several of the most endangered the black and white rough gleamer comes from the same genus as the Red Rough gleamer and lives for an average of 19 years although the oldest individual recorded in the wild lived to an incredible 37. although the two members of this genus are large in terms of lemurs they are not the largest species overall this Accolade goes to the injury which is most closely related to the cephacas and Woolly lemurs these primates can weigh up to 22 pounds and with the females giving birth just once every two to three years this is another species now listed as critically endangered this is also the case for the diademed safaka a close relative to the silky safaka they are found at mid- elevation and like most lemurs are almost completely arboreal spending little time on the ground andas Bay mantadir is just four hours from the country's capital and Tenerife and consequently is one of the most popular in the country at roughly the same distance on the other side lies one of the country's most interesting but upon further inspection somewhat disappointing sites instead of being the volcanic wonders they appear to be the Anna lavordi geeses were created by excess water from the nearby aragonite mines which over time formed four cold water Limestone geeses colored Orange from the iron pipes the water travels through one area that definitely does not disappoint is found at mid- elevation perched on the intersection between the central Highlands and the Madagascar humid forests ran mafana National Park is one of the country's most famous and although it is most well known for its Lima species including the golden bamboo Lima which was discovered in the park in 1986. it is also one of Madagascar's Prime birding destinations the malagasy paradise flycatcher is one of the most striking species sporting long tail streamers that differ in color between sex females display short Rufus tale streamers whereas those of the males are much longer and their plumage can differ from Rufus and white to black and white the pitter-like ground roller is another colorful endemic bird that can be observed hunting insects on the forest floor one of the most stunning insects is the Madagascar Moon moth which can only be observed in its adult form for six to eight days the caterpillar is bright green and after fattening up on leaves spins a silk cocoon from which they perform their metamorphosis after emerging the adult whose mouth and gut don't function has just six to eight days to find a mate and breed before succumbing to a lack of energy the frogs of the park are also quite amazing and include many members of the bofus genus all 80 species are endemic to the island and are from the same family as the Mantella genus we met earlier on but are arboreal instead of terrestrial and are also referred to as bright-eyed frogs it's hard to believe that the country could be any more spectacular than the humid forests of the East however the mountainous regions of the country are unique in their own right and are contained in an Eco region referred to as Madagascar's sub-humid forests this habitat is exhibited best by our next destination found just four hours from ran mafana [Music] and dingatra National Park is centered around the andringa Massif which features impressive Granite Peaks that Tower to almost nine thousand feet unlike those in Margie feature Iroquois thickets at higher elevations and its own unique set of Wildlife the jeweled chameleon is a particularly colorful species and is found only in the mountainous regions of central Madagascar they breed up to three times per year laying clutches of up to 12 eggs this species is medium in size growing to no more than 14 centimeters which is around four times smaller than the world's largest chameleon also found in the park the malagasy giant chameleon is widely distributed over the island and although it is typically lighter in weight than the Parsons chameleon we met earlier on it is a touch longer measuring up to 68.5 centimeters and ringgitra also plays host to several species of Swift which come from a family whose members are referred to collectively as Madagascar and iguanas and are from the same clade as the collared lizards of North America it would be a shame to explore the mountains of Madagascar without seeing lemurs and thankfully the range of the red-fronted Lemur which is mostly found in the west does extend into the park this species was once considered a subspecies of brown lemur which is found in the north but is now considered distinct as the highlands of central Madagascar drop off towards the West the rainforests of the East are replaced by zaric shrubland which is split into two Eco regions that we'll explore over the next two destinations [Music] isala National Park is found in the succulent Woodlands Eco region and while the red Sandstone landscape here is noticeably drier it still contains areas of lush foliage home to a different collection of malagasy snakes the common Madagascar cat snake is a mildly venomous species widely distributed throughout the island with the exception of the central Highlands and the southwest and coastal region dumerals Bower on the other hand is found only in the southwestern portion of the country and can grow up to seven feet in length foreign are also home to the Island's largest carnivore the fossa interestingly one of the fossas at Chester Zoo in the UK is named isilo presumably after the park at up to 26 pounds this cat-like creature is not only Madagascar's largest carnivore but lacking the presence of elephants Antelope or other large mammals is actually the country's largest terrestrial mammal and preys upon a variety of small animals which can sometimes include lemurs the ring-tailed lemur is perhaps the most well-known Lima species and is found only at the southern end of the island where it prefers various types of forest habitat including brush and scrub Forest ringtailed lemurs are quite small usually weighing around five pounds and give birth once per year young are cared for solely by the mother and will reach Independence at around one year of age they live in groups of up to 20 members called troops which are led by the females as we round the southern tip of the island we reach the driest Eco region known as Madagascar spiny thickets where rainfall can be rare but epic Wildlife is not foreign National Park May sit in the country's most arid area but has no shortage of water the park includes a particularly picturesque Lake which is used by some equally eye-catching bird species lake is frequented by both the largest and smallest of the six species of flamingo the greater Flamingo usually stands no more than five feet tall but has been recorded at over six feet the Lesser Flamingo on the other hand is no more than three feet in height and has a particularly colorful beak that is rivaled by the shell of a ground-dwelling long-living reptile the critically endangered radiated tortoise is not a particularly large species measuring up to 40 centimeters however while an exact age at death has not been verified estimates for the longest living individual range from 150 to almost 190 years the Spidey thickets here are home to a collection of reptiles but few are as Charming as the ocelot gecko these creatures are nocturnal emerging from their daytime hideouts at night to hunt insects the other members of their genus are found across the island and all of them are endemic to Madagascar June to September is a special period in the South for it is the time of year that Pharaoh's safakas give birth babies cling to their mother's chests for the first two to three months before transitioning to the back this species lives in groups of up to 13 individuals which contain just two to three adult males they use a bipedal hopping motion on the ground but spend most of their time in the trees a trait they share with their miniature cousins the reddish gray mouse lemur is one of the species found exclusively in this dry region and are part of the same family and genus as the smallest primate on Earth Madame Bertha's mouse lemur weighs just 30 grams and is found only in a small range on the West Coast the coastline on this side of the island is just as idyllic as the East and is where we'll explore several of Madagascar's many shark species foreign the white tip reef shark lives in the shallow cholera reefs of the indo-pacific there are another species that spend most of the day resting this time in caves before coming to life at night to Prey Upon small fish crabs and octopi not to be confused with the oceanic white tip these reef sharks are generally considered to be docile especially during the day a trait on next species is less well known for although these events are exceedingly rare the highly inquisitive tiger shark is often cited as the species responsible for the second largest number of attacks on humans behind the great white regardless these huge fish are quite beautiful and are named so for the tiger-like pattern of dark stripes that are most prominent in juveniles and fade as the shark matures the zebra shark is also named after a terrestrial counterpart and this name also makes the most sense in their juvenile form their skin pattern changes dramatically with age and in their adult form they are often known as leopard sharks these animals are also referred to as docile along with our last comparatively named shark species the whale shark is named not for its coloration but for its size as the largest fish species on Earth the largest on record seems to be debated with some sources referencing an individual measuring a staggering 61.7
feet and others an individual measuring 41.5 feet either way these gentle Giants are most frequently seen at the North End of the island which is where we are headed for the final leg of our journey the northern half of the West Coast is referred to as Madagascar dry deciduous forests which runs from sea level up to their intersection with the central Highlands at around 2000 feet this area receives more rainfall than the Arid South but less than the humid forests to the east leading to equally unique terrain and the country's first UNESCO world heritage site thank you sync de bamara was inscribed in 1990 to protect its cast Limestone landscape which features tall heavily eroded Pinnacles that reach over 300 feet in height the UNESCO site covers the Nature Reserve to the north which is separate from Cinque de bemara National Park to the South both of these areas are better known for their geology than their biodiversity however there are several species worth exploring Deccan sofaka is very similar to virose safaka but exhibits an entirely white pillage which looks quite incredible against their jet black skin and yellow orange eyes safakas are known for their ability to survive in environments where other species can't Venture and handle the sharp Limestone landscape with ease in addition to its Lima species there are at least three of the nine species of Kua present in the park these birds are part of a genus of ground Cuckoos all of which exhibit bright colors around the eyes and are endemic to Madagascar the largest of these birds is the giant Kua which can measure up to two feet in length there is one element that makes the west coast of Madagascar ecologically unique from the East thanks to the karma Waters of the Mozambique Channel and a supply of fresh water and sediment from the river system the West Coast features a much more extensive set of Mangrove forests constituting its very own Eco region [Music] mangrove trees have an abnormal tolerance for salt water and possess a unique root system allowing them to cope with the frequent change in water levels caused by the tide the holes seen here in the mangrove sediment of burrows dug by Mangrove crabs which are abundant in this habitat along with the barred mud skipper an interesting ray-finned fish found across the indo-pacific they can grow up to 19 centimeters and possess the ability to exit the water and cross mud flats in the trees the panther chameleon can be witnessed hunting insects with its long projectile tongue alongside colorful birds like the malagasy sacred Ibis and the Madagascar Kingfisher one of only two Kingfishers found on the island the largest species to inhabit the mangroves the dugong can weigh up to 900 pounds and is a close relative to the manatee which is also found in Mangrove ecosystems but on the other side of the world dugongs however are said to be marine mammals whereas manatees inhabit both freshwater and marine ecosystems just 30 kilometers Inland from the spectacular bombatuka Bay sits another national park that is quite easy to make out when viewed from above [Music] Ankara fonskier is another National Park that features a colorful Rock Canyon in addition to vast stretches of green forest and a lake that would not be a great idea to swim in enjoying the water here is the Nile crocodile the Island's largest reptile by some considerable margin they are considered Sacred by the locals and in addition to being present in encara fonskia their distribution stretches across most of the island although this becomes more sparse in the drier regions of the South the park is also home to several of the Island's owl species including the Madagascar scoop Sal it was recently reclassified and now has two defined subspecies the simply named Madagascar owl is also present here and displays drastically different plumage between its adult and juvenile forms so far we have covered all but one family of Lima and thankfully at least one of its species is found in the park the Milne Edwards sport of Lima is one of 26 species of sport of lemur all found in a single genus like mouse lemurs they are nocturnal and arboreal and hide in the hollows of trees during the day when our final species of safako is most active the kokorel safaka is similar to deccans and varosa fakas but exhibits reddish brown pallets on the tops of all four Limbs and the chest this species lives in groups of up to 10 and mates once per year between the months of January and February females usually give birth to a single Offspring after 160 days and can live for up to 30 years as we approach the north our tour of Madagascar concludes on the northernmost tip where several of the most picturesque islands in the world can be found both sit on the sheltered western side of the country and feature not only some of the most idyllic beaches and pristine Forest but are home to some of the country's coolest animals foreign leaf-tailed gecko is present on news bay and looks very similar to the satanic leaf-tailed gecko which is found to the east both of these reptiles are members of the auroplatus genus whose members are known as leaf-tailed or flat-tailed geckos all of which are endemic to Madagascar another of the country's most famous inhabitants can also be found on the northernmost tip the giant Madagascar day gecko there are many types of day gecko dotted throughout the country but the giant version is only found in the north and measures up to 28 centimeters in a country packed with unique primates there is one final species worth exploring the black lemur is found both on noose Bay and the mainland and like the white fronted Lima exhibits sexual dichromatism with males displaying an entirely black palette and the females a reddish brown coat and long white hair around the neckline the Waters of the Northwest are some of the most incredible in the country and although rare can host one of the world's most revered marine mammals foreign have a gigantic distribution being found in all of the world's oceans they are most often spotted in colder Waters at higher latitudes but there is known to be a small population in the Indian Ocean and these incredible mammals have been spotted on both sides of the channel there are well over 30 satisines known to frequent Madagascar's Coastline including several species of dolphin new spay is known for its populations of spinner dolphin which can be found in pods numbering hundreds of individuals this species is found throughout the warmer regions of the world's oceans and are known for their ballerina-like acrobatic displays hence the name at certain times of year another common sighting is the humpback which uses the Mozambique channel to navigate between its breeding grounds to the north and its feeding grounds to the South a journey you can learn about in this video exploring 20 of the most interesting animal migrations thank you so much for watching
2023-09-01 21:56
