Fauna of Madagascar

Madagascar is a large island located in the Indian Ocean about 250 miles east of the African continent. Its varied geography and the resulting differences in temperature and rainfall have led to the identification of five distinct climatic regions, each having its own specialized flora and fauna. Because of the island’s isolation, up to 150,000 of its estimated 200,000 evolved animal species so far identified are endemic. Biologists discover new species every year. This unique biodiversity makes it a source of fascination for amateur and professional naturalists alike, as well as a hotspot for bioconservation efforts.

Mammals

There are relatively few mammal species on the island of Madagascar. The ancestors of these unusual, diminutive creatures first arrived at the island by floating across the water on mats of vegetation or by hopping on temporary landmasses. Large mammals are thus conspicuously absent. Excluding bats, Madagascar’s native mammals are 90 percent endemic.

Lemurs (order Primates, infraorder Lemuriformes) are Madagascar’s trademark animals. They are found nowhere else in the world. These curious prosimians occupy a singular place in primate evolution. Lacking some of the characteristics of the higher primates, such as monkeys and apes, they are nevertheless intelligent and display social organization. Lemurs have excellent night vision, an acute sense of smell, distinctive bright eyes, pointed snouts, and long tails, and are about the size of a cat. Most are arboreal and can jump great distances from tree to tree. They are primarily vegetarians, although some species also eat insects. There are over 100 living species in five families. Of the true lemurs (family Lemuridae), the ringtail lemur is best known, the most sociable, and the only species that spends most of its time on the ground. Other species include the bamboo, mongoose, brown, black, and ruffed lemurs. The indri (family Indriidae) is the largest lemur, growing up to three feet tall and weighing up to fifteen pounds (16.8 kilograms). It is famous for its loud, wailing, territorial call that can be heard at great distances. Woolly and sifaka lemurs are also part of this family. The nocturnal mouse and dwarf lemurs (family Cheirogaleidae) are the smallest primates in the world, travel on all fours, and are the most numerous group in Madagascar. The aye-aye (family Daubentoniidae) is a single species, quite different from all others. This solitary lemur has scruffy black fur, huge ears, rodent-like teeth, a thick tail, and a long, skeletal middle finger. It hunts for insects by listening for sounds underneath bark, then gnaws a hole and inserts its long finger into the hole to scoop out its prey. Lepilemurs (family Megaladapidae) are medium-sized, nocturnal lemurs.

Madagascan carnivores consist of civets (family Viverridae) and mongooses (family Herpestidae). The fossa is the largest civet and predator on the island, with a body length of about 2.5 feet (70 to 80 centimeters). It is a catlike creature with powerful legs, a long tail, and is an agile tree climber. It preys on reptiles, birds, and mammals, including lemurs. Other civets are smaller and more foxlike. The five species of mongoose are even smaller.

Tenrecs (order Afrosoricida, family Tenrecidae) are among the most primitive of all living mammals and were probably the first to arrive at the island. These small creatures resemble hedgehogs or shrews. Tenrecs feed primarily on insects, but many are omnivorous.

There are forty-four species of bats. Only 73 percent are endemic due to their ability to migrate off the island. The flying fox, a fruit bat, is the largest.

Only between twenty and thirty species of rodents exist in Madagascar. The giant jumping rat is the largest, about the size of a rabbit and weighing about 2.5 pounds (1 kilogram).

Reptiles and Amphibians

Madagascar’s amphibian population consists of over 300 species of frogs. The true frogs (family Ranidae) are most abundant, followed by the narrow-mouthed frogs (family Microphyidae) and just a few species of the Hyperoliidae and Rhacophoridae families. Most are arboreal forest dwellers.

The reptiles are also well-represented, with over 300 species identified. The lizards (subclass Lepidosauria, order Squamata, suborder Sauria) comprise the largest diversity and include Madagascar’s famous chameleons, whose color-changing ability, multidirectional vision, sharpshooting tongues, and V-shaped feet make them fascinating subjects. Madagascar is home to the majority of the world’s chameleon species. One hundred species inhabit the island. The parsonii are the world’s largest chameleons, and the pardalis is the most common. They eat insects as well as small birds and lizards. The eighty species of geckos include those with perfect camouflage as well as brightly colored ones. Iguanas inhabit only the dry regions. Skinks and girdle-tailed lizards are widespread. In 2022 alone, eight new species of gecko were discovered in Madagascar, named by the University of Copenhagen.

There are no venomous snakes in Madagascar. The largest group are harmless snakes from the family Colubridae, the giant hog-nosed snake being the most common. The rest are blind snakes (family Typhlopidae) and boas (family Boidae). Madagascar is also home to a few species of sea turtles and tortoises. The endangered radiated tortoise is one of the rarest animals on earth. The Nile crocodile is also rare in Madagascar.

Birds

Madagascar has a relative paucity of bird species. Only around 283 species have been recorded, and they are generally less colorful than those in other tropical areas. Of these, 117 species are endemic, and in fact there are five endemic families: the mesites, ground-rollers, cuckoo-rollers, asities, and vangas. The couas, a subfamily of the cuckoo, are among the most attractive, as are the kingfishers, flycatchers, sunbirds, weavers, lovebirds, and red fody. Of the twenty-four species of birds of prey, fourteen are endemic, and include kestrels, fish-eagles, and owls. There are also several species of partridges, quails, and grouse. Most of Madagascar’s seabirds and wading birds are also found elsewhere in the world.

Invertebrates

A huge variety of invertebrates exist in Madagascar due to the abundance of different ecological niches. The largest group is the insects; most are endemic, many even to a particular locality. These include dragonflies and damselflies, grasshoppers, termites, flies, ants, fifty-two species of praying mantis, and over twenty species of hissing cockroach. The more than eighty species of stick insects are amazing masters of camouflage. There are over one thousand species of true bugs, many strikingly colored. These include stinkbugs, water bugs, cotton-stainer bugs, and assassin bugs. Thousands of species of beetles exist. These are colorful and varied in appearance, with descriptive names such as jewel-beetles, longhorn beetles, tiger beetles, darkling beetles, scarabs, and the bizarre giraffe-necked weevils. Madagascar has hundreds of moth and butterfly species, including many varieties of swallowtails and the attractive pansy butterflies. Hundreds of species of wasps and bees live in Madagascar, and several have bright metallic green coloring. Of the remaining invertebrates, there are many worms, leeches, and flatworms, and a huge variety of endemic land snails. There are about 430 species of spiders, fifty-two species of scorpions (only two have a painful sting), over 64 species of centipedes, and also many millipedes, some reaching giant sizes of six inches or more. In the early twenty-first century, over forty-five new invertebrate species were discovered in Madagascar. In general, scientists identify over fifty new species on the island each year.

Conservation

Humans arrived at Madagascar about two thousand years ago, and since then, wildlife populations have been steadily decreasing due to hunting and habitat destruction. Several large species have already become extinct. The elephant bird, which stood about ten feet tall and weighed about one thousand pounds, died out about five hundred years ago, and its huge eggs are still found. Several species of lemurs, one the size of a gorilla, have also become extinct, as have the giant tortoise and pygmy hippopotamus. The Malagasy people of Madagascar use the tavy method of slash-and-burn rice farming, which destroys the forests and erodes the soil. Only about 10 percent of the original forest cover remains. Cattle grazing, the production of charcoal, and the growing human population add to the problem. Many of Madagascar’s unique animal species are severely threatened.

There are several national parks and special reserves throughout the island, created to protect ecosystems and their endangered plant and animal species. Additionally, educating the Malagasy about the importance of their environment and wildlife is a continual process in the twenty-first century. In the early 2000s, an astounding 600 species were discovered, but many of the newly discovered species were placed on the threatened or endangered list by the 2020s. As of the mid-2020s, over 600 plant and animal species on the island were considered endangered or critically threatened.

Principal Terms

Arboreal: Living in or among trees

Camouflage: To blend in with one’s surroundings

Endangered: At risk of becoming extinct

Endemic: Existing only in a particular locality

Nocturnal: Active at night

Omnivorous: Feeds on both plants and animals

Prosimians: A group of primates that retain some primitive characteristics absent in higher primates

Bibliography

Blauer, Ettagale, and Jason Lauré. Madagascar. Children’s Press, 2000.

Darling, Kathy. Chameleons on Location. Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, 1997.

Garbutt, Nick. Mammals of Madagascar. Princeton University Press, 2023.

Jackson, Justin. "The Ancient Seafaring Fauna of Madagascar." PBS, 22 May 2023, phys.org/news/2023-05-ancient-seafaring-fauna-madagascar.html. Accessed 25 June 2023.

"Madagascar - Animals, People, and Threats." World Wildlife Fund, www.worldwildlife.org/places/madagascar. Accessed 21 Aug. 2024.

Preston-Mafham, Ken. Madagascar: A Natural History. Facts on File, 1991.

Tyson, Peter. The Eighth Continent: Life, Death, and Discovery in the Lost World of Madagascar. William Morrow, 2013.

Weston, Phoebe. "Madagascar's Unique Wildlife Faces Imminent Wave of Extinction, Say Scientists." The Guardian, 11 Jan. 2023, www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/10/madagascar-unique-wildlife-extinction-aoe. Accessed 21 Aug. 2024.