Early in the morning, a deep, rather slowly repeated ‘bwup’ call can be heard in the rainforest. It is the call of the The pitta-like ground roller (Atelornis pittoides), a small bird that, like so many animals in Madagascar, is very special. Pitta-like ground rollers are endemic to Madagascar Pitta-like ground rollers are only found in Madagascar. They live in …
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Berenty: The name of the reserve means ‘many eels’, alluding to the once abundant fishing grounds of the Mandrare River. Berenty is one of the most visited protected areas in Madagascar. Location: The Berenty reserve is located 82 kilometres west of the coastal town of Tolagnaro (French: Fort Dauphin) in the far south of Madagascar. From Tolagnaro, Berenty can be …
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#1 Lemurs are only found wild in Madagascar The island of Madagascar is the only country in the entire world where lemurs occur naturally. Only two species of lemurs, the brown lemur, and the Mongoz lemur, were trafficked to the Comoros by humans and have successfully settled there. Many species of lemurs are not even found in zoos today, but …
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Tortoises are popular, both in Madagascar and all over the world. And yet these reptiles on the red island are massively threatened. One of them is the Spider Tortoise (Pyxis arachnoides), named after the beautiful, web-like pattern of its dorsal shell. The older Spider Tortoises get, however, the more the pretty pattern disappears. Really old animals – it is assumed …
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Madagascar’s coasts are home to a secret that few travellers know about. Not only is the island itself a treasure trove of biodiversity, but the sea around it is home to particularly rare mammals: dugongs (Dugong dugon). They depend on seaweed for their entire lives In Madagascar, they are called lamboara or trozogno. The term “sea cows” goes back to …
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For a long time, there was only one Common Big-Eyed Snake on Madagascar – or so we all thought. In 2017, researchers from the USA discovered that there is a second species of Common Big-Eyed Snake in Madagascar. For centuries, the species had been hidden, even though it lived so obviously in plain sight. Accordingly, the newly discovered species was …
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Ancestor worship, magic, and superstition are omnipresent in Madagascar. Most Madagascans fear and revere the dead at the same time. Many believe that the souls of the deceased still live among them. These spirits of the ancestors, in Malagasy Lolo Vokatra, are able to see, guide, and protect families, friends and acquaintances, and even the entire community. However, unlike classic …
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Dinosaurs and pterosaurs were true giants, that is the general opinion about the lizards of prehistoric times. The largest creature that ever lived on earth was the dinosaur Argentinosaurus. With a body length of 30 metres and weighing an incredible 70 tonnes, it surpassed the famous Tyrannosaurus rex by far. Its largest counterpart in the air was the pterosaur Quetalcoatlus. …
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In the very north of Madagascar lives a small coloured frog: Mantella viridis. The males grow to a length of two to two and a half centimetres, the females hardly reach more than three centimetres. The small frog with the yellow-green back has several, small populations. On the one hand, Mantella viridis is found in the protected area of the …
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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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MADAMAGAZINE Your Magazine about Madagascar
