They are feared in many places. They should be more afraid of humans than the other way round: hammerhead sharks are important predators in the Indian Ocean. Without them, the marine ecosystem around Madagascar would not function. A special representative of the hammerhead sharks is Sphyrna lewini, the scalloped hammerhead shark. The name says it all: the broad, hammer-shaped head …
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Everything is a bit more colourful in Madagascar – even the sparrows on the roofs! The best example of this is the Madagascar Fody (Foudia madagascariensis). The Malagasy call him Red Fody, sometimes spelt Fodi or Foudi. Fodys are distributed all over the country. They are considered one of the most common birds in Madagascar. They can be found near …
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In the southwest of Madagascar, between the famous baobabs of Andavadoaka and the beaches of Ifaty, lies a small and entirely unknown lagoon far away from the hustle and bustle of big cities. A coral reef protects seven kilometres of white dream beach stretch along the turquoise blue sea. Sounds like paradise? It is! This little paradise belongs to Salary …
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Madagascar Palms Who doesn’t know them, the characteristic, bulbous trees of Madagascar? We are not talking about the world-famous baobabs, but the Madagascar palms. But they are not palms. They actually belong to the dogbane family. Better simply use the botanical name of the genus: Pachypodium. Pachypodium belong to the succulents, plants that are particularly good at storing water. You …
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An absolute insider tip for kitesurfers is hidden at the northernmost tip of Madagascar: Sakalava Bay. The name comes from the Sakalava people who live here. The beautiful bay is almost 5 km² in size and is protected by an offshore coral reef. The kite season in Sakalava Bay is unusually long. It starts in March and lasts until December. …
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Once hunted for their tortoiseshell, now threatened with extinction Five species of sea turtles are found around Madagascar’s coasts and islands. One of the best known is probably the hawksbill turtle, Eretmochelys imbricata. It is most famous for its tortoiseshell, French caret, a term from the French Antilles. It refers to both the animal itself and the valuable tortoiseshell obtained …
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Already the botanist Rudolf Schlechter praised the orchid Gastrorchis françoisii in 1925 as one of the most beautiful he would ever have described. And indeed it is: its large flowers, about 5 cm wide, pink on the outside and white and purple on the inside, with the striking yellow spot on the lip, are a real eye-catcher. And even among …
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Lemurs are generally considered social, peaceful animals. But one lemur, in particular, stands out in terms of its family ties: the eastern woolly lemur (Avahi laniger). The name comes from its slightly curly fur, which no other lemur in Madagascar has. Eastern woolly lemurs live only on Madagascar, they are endemic to the island. Their habitat is on the east coast …
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It seems completely unbelievable that there are still lost species that could be rediscovered in the 21st century. But in Madagascar, almost anything is possible. And so in 2020, almost unbelievable news went around the world: A chameleon had been rediscovered after more than a hundred years! The whole story goes back to 1893. At that time, paleontologist Oskar Böttger, …
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Since 2021, it has been known that there is not just one, but six different species of the Tree of Travelers. But how do they differ? This small identification guide should help to classify them. A complete article about the different Ravenalas and their occurrence can be found here: The Tree of Travelers. Photos will be added soon, until then …
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MADAMAGAZINE Your Magazine about Madagascar
