Moorhens (Gallinula chloropus) can be found throughout much of Africa, Europe and Asia, including Madagascar, where they prefer freshwater marshes. They don’t only look like a half-step between a chicken and a duck, they act a bit like it, too—walking like the former and swimming like the latter.
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We had to leave Isalo today, but before we did I got a final gift from nature in the form of this charming little three-eyed lizard, also known as the three-eyed iguanid or three-eyed iguana, because they were previously believed to be part of the iguana family. Read more …
We saw this gorgeous snake on our way into the forest today at Zombitse National Park. Unlike in Africa, where you have to know how to distinguish venomous snakes from non-venomous ones, in Madagascar you never need to worry.
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Baobabs are cool plants. On the outside, they look like just another tree. But if you take a look inside, they’re a creature all their own. Their unique traits help them survive drought, deforestation, and getting chewed on by animals.
Sportive lemurs are active at night, when they forage for food, and less social than brown lemurs or sifakas, tending toward solitary living. During the day, they doze in tree hollows, crooks, and dense areas of branches, usually alone unless they are raising young. With their large, night-adapted eyes, sportive lemurs wear a perpetually surprised expression. Our guides at Zombitse … Read more
It’s not the best season for butterflies in Madagascar, but you wouldn’t know it from a visit to Zombitse National Park, where every break in the forest canopy meant a patch of sun filled with butterflies. I don’t have an insect book for Madagascar, so here are some pictures with no identification. I’ll have to research when I get home.
Early morning as the sun comes up is a great time to go birding, but it’s not a great time to take photos of birds. I had a devil of a time focusing on this one, and the low light situation made the photo grainy. But hey, I saw a Madagascar hoopoe (Upupa marginata)! Aren’t they cool? They aren’t woodpeckers, but … Read more
Our guide in Isalo National Park, Roland, led us on a hike that ended in a climb up a 300-meter staircase carved out of the granite outcrops toward the center of the park. Although it’s the dry season, we found mud and plenty of moisture-loving species, such as sundews (a type of carnivorous plant that eats small insects), moss and … Read more
Madagascar has many species of day geckos, so called because they’re diurnal (active during the day). We’ve seen several lived and peacock day geckos while in the rainforest, and here in Isalo we met a new one: the thick-tailed day gecko. I love its mottled coloring and the slight blue tinge to its tail.
We were only a few hundred meters into the dry forest at Isalo National Park when we heard rustling in the fallen leaves, followed by snuffling sounds that reminded me of a certain family member who likes to press her nose against the glass and snort like a pig. A quick scan of the surrounding brush identified the culprits: a troop of red-fronted brown lemurs (Eulemur rufifrons), so named for the reddish patch of fur on the foreheads of the males. Read more …