Notes from a Lazy Urban Homesteader & Amateur Naturalist
Although bulbuls exist in Africa, the Madagascar bulbul (Hypsipetes madagascariensis) is more closely related to bulbuls from Asia. The Hypsipetes genus is found only in Asia and the Indian Ocean islands. Read more …
I don’t know what kind of grasshopper is, but it sure is pretty. We saw it tonight on an evening walk outside of Andasibe National Park in Madagascar. Read more …
The diadem sifaka has a beautiful coat of three colors: white, black, and orange. Despite the low light in the Andasibe rainfoeest, I couldn’t resist taking photo after photo of this sifaka’s family group this morning. Warning: Watching sifakas for an hour can leave you with a serious crick in your neck. Read more …
I’ve seen animals that are pretty good at blending in with their surroundings before. Caterpillars blend in with tomato leaves, squirrels with browning oak leaves, and sparrows with gray sidewalks. (Hmmm, maybe that last one doesn’t count.) But this mossy leaf-tailed gecko takes the cake. Read more …
Saw these birds in the driveway of our lodge this afternoon. Their pattern reminds me a lot of American robins, though of course the color is different. The name wagtail is accurate. Their tails constantly go up and down like the handle of a water pump. I’ll try to get a movie next time I see them.
Madagascar has many species of bark spiders, five of which were unknown to science only a decade ago. Read more …