June 17-18
Hello everyone!
Lemurs, you say?
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| Sifaka lemur |
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| Indri lemur |
Madagascar is famous for them. It was even before the film. What I didn’t know before researching this trip was that there are many, many different species of lemur on the island. King Julian doesn’t have it all his own way.
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| Brown lemur |
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| Brown lemur |
I’m actually unlikely to see his particular species, the ring-tailed lemur, as they are prevalent in the south of Madagascar. My first trip outside of Tana, the capital, was going east to Andasibe-Mantadia National Park.
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| Lemurs are often split into 12 'groups' - there are about 100 species |
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| Andasibe is a popular trip from Tana |
Common consensus is that it should take a little over 3 hours to get from Tana to Andasibe. It does take that long...from the edge of town. Escaping the clutches of the capital’s car-choked, narrow roads took another two hours.
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| One of many traffic jams in Tana |
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| Walking: a way of beating the traffic! |
The road itself is quite entertaining. It is the main road from Tana to the country’s main port of Toamasina, meaning that a large number of very large, cumbersome trucks crawl along it. Like Malawi, this ‘motorway’ is one lane in each direction. Overtaking is made trickier by the road being littered with staggeringly wide and deep potholes, as well as minibuses called taxi-brousse (bush taxis) ignoring the complaints of their vehicle’s suspension as they bounce along the undulating surface.
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| Our car was often slowing almost to a stop to deal with the holes |
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| The hills slow down heavy vehicles, making progress painful at times |
We had stopped on the way at a reptile park. Many of Madagascar’s popular species are difficult to spot in the wild, so coming here was an opportunity to see them in their country of origin, albeit in a facility that was more like a zoo. I particularly enjoyed seeing the chameleons. The amazing colours (which don’t always change, apparently it depends on emotion) are a riot and definitely don’t hit the stereotype of blending in with their surroundings. How they move is also pretty special, with chameleons seeming to be either the most hesitant creatures on the planet or the epitome of cool as they ‘dance’ their way along a branch.
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| 44% of known chameleon species are endemic to Madgascar |
One of the guides wanted to show us how they eat, so put relatively large crickets about a chameleon’s body length away from their mouth. Soon, a strange orb appears in this mouth and grows slightly. Quick as a flash, an extraordinarily long tongue flies out of the mouth, grabs the cricket and whips itself back to base. The cricket is too big to fit so sticks out of the sides. Fascinating.
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| The chameleon's tongue is often longer than its body |
Madagascar has many fascinating creatures which are endemic to the island, owing to its split during the breakup of the Gondwana supercontinent. It first detached from an African side before splitting off from India at around the time of the dinosaur extinction. This, in addition to the relatively late arrival of Europeans, has left these species untouched and only present here. From gruesome geckos to tiny mantella frogs, Madagascar houses an innumerable number of things which you won’t see in the wild anywhere else in the world.
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| A scary-looking gecko |
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| This mantella frog was the size of my fingernail |
They are very difficult to see in the wild as they generally camouflage themselves during daylight. It makes it much more rewarding when you see some of the reptiles in their natural habitat. On a drizzly, nocturnal walk in the forest next to Andasibe-Mantadia National Park, we were lucky enough to see a tree frog, a stick insect and a Parson’s chameleon, the largest species.
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| Tree frog |
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| Parson's chameleon is the largest of the species |
We also saw a flash of a nocturnal lemur, the mouse lemur. So small it can apparently fit into an egg cup, it is apparently quite a common sight as their eyes initially flash red against a light. Can you spot it in the pictures below?
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| Up high in the trees |
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| The light stuns the lemurs so they don't move |
The reptiles were amazing but it is lemurs that people travel to Andasibe to see. The largest species, the Indri, are common in the park and famous for their ‘singing’. It sounds like a siren’s call and goes from high to low. They are also territorial which makes it a bit easier to find them.
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| Its body can reach up to 70 cm in length |
They’re also known for their incredible jumping ability, both vertical and horizontal. They can jump up to 10 metres across, then immediately bounce to another tree. It’s as if they’re bouncing off trampolines!
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| Unlike most other leurs, it has a very short tail |
I was almost as impressed with their ability to hang high above the ground, using their long ‘fingers’ to cling to thin branches and contort themselves to get more food. At times it was like watching Gladiators on the rings.
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| An indri can live up to 20 years in the wild |
Other lemurs are in the park as well. We saw the woolly lemur, which looks like it would be wonderful to cuddle…
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| A woolly lemur will be between 30 and 50 cm in length |
...the brown lemur, the first one we spotted in the park…
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| The common brown lemur has a long, furry tail |
...and the golden sifaka, which had a gorgeous golden colour on its limbs. This group also made a noise but it was more like a guttural duck - some Malagasy students on a field trip had started making noises which were annoying it.
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| Sifakas have strong hind legs which allow them to jump vertcally |
I had already seen a sifaka, of a different colour, in the reptile park. These lemurs seem free to roam but are clever enough to know that they will get fed if they loiter in a certain area where humans wander. Though not entirely a wild encounter, it was a chance to get up close - very close - and personal with some lemurs.
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| Sifakas - and all lemurs - are vegetarian |
The lesser-spotted Welsh lemur, previously unseen in Madagascar (at least to my knowledge) also made an appearance.
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| This lemur wanted the banana very badly! |
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| My guide Malala and the local support |
A major factor in coming to Madagascar was to experience seeing some of its endemic wildlife. What an incredible experience it was. Though King Julian probably won’t be found, I’ve seen enough lovely lemurs to make me a very happy traveller.
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My travelling companion George being
clambered over by a chameleon |
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| Karma-karma-karma-karma-karma-chameleon... |
Love you all,
Matt
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