Madagascar

Animals

Madagascar is home to a huge variety of animals. There are 66 mammals, all of them found nowhere else. It has 260 different reptiles, including half of all chameleon species, 300 different butterflies, 28 different kinds of bat, 150 different species of frog and 32 species of primate unique to the island. Over 201 kinds of birds can be found there, half of them found only on Madagascar. It's rather like Noah's Ark!

Lemurs are not monkeys or apes, but are part of a group of primates called prosimians. Lemurs are found only on Madagascar and the small nearby Comoro islands. There are about 30 species of lemur, all endangered, some species critically so. Lemur species range in size from small to medium: the smallest is the Pygmy Mouse Lemur which weighs about 30g and the largest are the Indri and the Sifaka which weigh about 7 kg.

All but one species of lemur, the Indri, have long furry tails which help them balance as they leap through the forest treetops. The tails do not grip the branches. Different species live in varied habitats from the wet rainforests in the east to the spiny deserts in the south.

Lemurs spend most of their time in trees or large bushes, although the Ring-tailed Lemur spends about half the day on the ground. Some species are nocturnal (active at night), others are active at dusk and a few are diurnal (active during the day). The smaller species tend to be nocturnal, but many of the larger species are a diurnal.

A lemur's diet is mainly leaves and fruits. As they travel through their habitat, they pass the fruit seeds out of their bodies, and so help spread the growth of trees. This is important in a place where there has been about 80% deforestation.

Among Madagascar's other unique mammals, there are 7 species of of carnivore in the island. The most famous is the Fossa which looks like a small puma but it is a member of the civet family. It is related to the mongoose. It is about 90 centimetres long, and its tail is about 60 cm long. It
weighs about 11 kg.
It is nocturnal and preys on lemurs and small domestic animals, reptiles and smaIl mammals.

The Fossa is highly endangered.

The Tenrec
There are more than 20 species of Tenrec, native to Madagascar. They are nocturnal mammals that eat insects. Females give birth to huge litters of about 25-30 young. Some species of Tenrec hibernate in burrows through the hot, dry season.

You can see a photo of a tenrec here
http://photos.wildmadagascar.org/images/1101-0076.shtml

Next: Some Lemurs

Acknowledge this source in your bibliography like this:
Madagascar (2004). [Online], Available: www.kidcyber.com.au

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Updated May 2007