In the south of Madagascar, many strange plants thrive. Only very special plants can adapt to the extremely dry and hot climate. One of them is the Mother of Thousands, with the scientific name Kalanchoe daigremontiana. It is still unclear whether the species should be assigned to the genus Kalanchoe or to the genus Bryophyllum. There is still a lack …
LesenMasika sipa
Trickster with plumage: The Crested Drongo
Drongos populate the entire continent of Africa. Their habitat on the island of Madagascar is just as variable as the African continent. From dry forest to rainforest, from intact primary jungle to man-made farmland, the Drongo can cope with almost any environment. But the Drongo species on Madagascar is a special one: Here live the Madagascan, endemic subspecies of the …
LesenThe lighthouse of Nosy Tanikely
Although Madagascar is the fourth largest island in the world with an incredible number of kilometers of coastline, the entire island is home to just a small number of historic lighthouses. One of them is located on the small, paradisiacal island of Nosy Tanikely in northwest Madagascar. The island is now a national park and thus a protected area. The …
LesenThe Ankarana Sportive Lemur
Sportive Lemurs are everywhere in Madagascar. But every place has its own species. In the far north of Madagascar, in the dry forests of Ankarana, lives the eponymous Ankarana Sportive Lemur (Lepilemur ankaranensis). It is widespread as far as the nearby rainforests and dry forests of the Amber Mountain as well as Analamerana and Manongarivo and is only about 25 …
LesenPerfectly camouflaged giants: Uroplatus giganteus
Madagascar’s reptiles offer many a superlative. The smallest lizard in the world, the most colorful chameleons, the smallest iguana, the rarest tortoise – all that is missing is a record-breaking gecko. The Giant Leaf-tailed Gecko (Uroplatus giganteus) fills exactly this gap. It measures up to 34.5 cm and is thus the second largest gecko in the world. The giants among …
LesenThe Crested Coua
Couas are only found in Madagascar. A particularly pretty representative of these colorful birds is the Crested Coua (Coua cristata). The back and tail feathers are purple, the breast feathers are rust-red, the head carries the eponymous mop of feathers. Around the eyes, as with all Couass, there is naked skin around the eyes, which glows blue in this species. …
LesenThe Ground Gecko of the South: Paroedura picta
The hot south is the home of a small and very pretty gecko, the Madagascar Ground Gecko (Paroedura picta). It inhabits spiny and dry forests around Toliara (French: Tuléar) down to the bay of St. Augustin. The somewhat wetter valley along the river Onilahy is also populated. Even further south the species occurs as far as Berenty and Amboasary Sud …
LesenThe terracotta relief of Antananarivo
It is a bit hidden on the edge of a street in the district of Andohalo. But those who visit the royal palace of the capital of Madagascar should not simply walk past this piece of history. Directly at the Lalana Ramboatiana between the Rova of Antananarivo and the palace of the Prime Minister runs approximately 40 meters long terracotta …
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