The fauna of Madagascar is one of the richest and most varied in the world, as it includes various animal species that are endemic to the island. Located in the Indian Ocean, Madagascar is located off the coast of the African continent, specifically near Mozambique, and is the fourth largest island in the world.
In this article on our site we will talk about the fauna of the island, the animals in danger of extinction in Madagascar and various curiosities about the species that inhabit the territory. Do you want to meet these 15 animals of Madagascar? Then read on!
1. Lemur
We start our list of animals of Madagascar with the Madagascar lemur, also known as lemur of ringtail (Lemur catta). This mammal belongs to the order of primates, among which it is considered one of the smallest in the world. It is characterized by having a body similar to that of a squirrel, and stands out for its athletic abilities and highly social behavior.
The lemur has a long tail that allows it to maintain its balance and change direction while moving through the branches of the trees. It is an omnivorous animal, its diet includes fruits, insects, reptiles and birds.
two. Panther Chameleon
The panther chameleon (Furcifer pardalis) is one of the chameleons that is part of the fauna of Madagascar. It is considered the largest in the world, since unlike the other Madagascar chameleons it reaches 60 centimeters in length. This chameleon feeds on various insects and lives in trees. One of the most outstanding characteristics of this species are the colors that it shows in the different phases of its life, up to 25 different tones have been registered.
3. Satanic Leaf-Tailed Gecko
Another animal on the island of Madagascar is the satanic leaf-tailed gecko (Uroplatus phantasticus), a species skilled at time to camouflage with the leaves of its habitat. It has an arched body with stripes that cover its skin, its tail is similar to a folded leaf, which helps it hide in the foliage.
The color of the gecko can vary, but it is most common in shades of brown with tiny black spots. This animal of the fauna of Madagascar is a nocturnal and oviparous species.
4. Pit
The fossa (Cryptoprocta ferox) is the largest carnivorous mammal in Madagascar, the lemur being its main prey. It has an agile and very strong body, which allows it to move with great skill through its habitat. Cryptoprocta ferox is a territorial animal, especially females.
It is one of the animals of Madagascar that are active during the day and at night, but spend most of their lives alone, since they only come together during the mating season.
5. Aye Aye
Among the fauna of Madagascar is the aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis), a curious looking species. Despite looking like a rodent, it is the largest nocturnal primate in the world. It is characterized by elongated and curved fingers, which it uses to get insects in deep and hard-to-reach places, such as tree trunks.
The species has gray fur and a long, bushy tail. As for its location, it is only found in Madagascar, specifically on the east coast and in the forests of the northwest.
6. Giraffe Weevil
Continuing with the animals of Madagascar, we present the giraffe weevil (Trachelophorus giraffa), similar to a beetle. It differs in the shape of its wings and elongated neck. Its body is black with red elytra and it measures less than an inch. During the reproductive phase, female weevils store their eggs inside rolled-up leaves on trees.
7. Malagasy pochard
Another animal on the island of Madagascar is the Malagasy pochard (Aythya innotata), a species of bird that measures 50 centimeters. It has an abundant plumage of dark tones, more opaque in males. In addition, another sign of sexual dimorphism is found in the eyes, since females have a brown iris, while that of males is white.
The Malagasy pochard feeds on plants, insects and fish that it finds in humid areas.
8. Verreaux's sifaka
The Verreaux's sifaka (Propithecus verreauxi) is part of the fauna of Madagascar. It is a kind of white primate with a black face, it has a long tail that allows it to jump between the trees with great agility. It inhabits tropical jungles and desert areas.
The species is territorial, but at the same time social, so they are grouped in groups of up to 12 members. They feed on leaves, branches, nuts and fruit.
9. Indri
The indri (Indri indri) is the largest lemur in the world, measuring up to 70 centimeters and weighing 10 kilos. Its fur varies from dark brown to white with black spots. The indri is one of the animals of the fauna of Madagascar that is characterized by staying with the same partner it has chosen until its death It feeds on the nectar of the trees, as well as nuts and fruits in general.
10. Blue Cua
The blue cougar (Coua caerulea) is a species of bird endemic to the island of Madagascar, where it inhabits the forests of the northwest and from the east. It is characterized by its long tail, sharp beak and intense blue plumage It feeds on fruits and leaves. Very little is known about this species, but it is among the most striking that make up the fauna of Madagascar.
eleven. Radiated Tortoise
The Radiated Tortoise (Astrochelys radiata) inhabits the forests of southern Madagascar. Live up to 100 years. It is characterized by a high carapace crossed with yellow lines, a flat head and medium-sized legs. The radiated tortoise is a herbivorous animal, which feeds on plants and fruits. It is one of the endangered animals in Madagascar and is considered critically ill due to habitat loss and poaching.
12. Madagascar long-eared owl
The Madagascar long-eared owl (Asio madagascariensis) is a species of bird that inhabits wooded areas. It is nocturnal and presents sexual dimorphism, since the male is smaller than the female. The feeding of the long-eared owl is based on small amphibians, reptiles, birds and mice.
13. Tenrec
Another of the animals of Madagascar is the tenrec (Hemicentetes semispinosus), a mammal with a long snout and a body covered with small spikes that uses to defend itself. It has the ability to communicate through a sound that it makes by rubbing different parts of its body, which even helps it to find a partner.
Regarding its location, this species can be found in the humid tropical forests that exist in Madagascar, where it feeds on earthworms.
14. Tomato Frog
The Tomato frog (Dyscophus antongilii) is an amphibian characterized by its red color. It lives among the leaf litter and feeds on insects such as worms or flies. During the breeding season, the species seeks out flooded areas to lay its tiny tadpoles It is endemic to eastern and northeastern Madagascar.
fifteen. Nosy Hara chameleon
We end our list of animals from Madagascar with one of the species of chameleons from Madagascar, the Nosy Hara chameleon (Brookesia micra), endemic to the island of Madagascar from which it gets its name. It only measures 29 millimeters, making it the smallest chameleon in the world. The species feeds on insects found in the leaf litter, where it spends most of its life.
Endangered animals in Madagascar
Despite the varied fauna of the island of Madagascar, some species are in danger of extinction for various reasons, although most of them have to do with the action of man.
These are some of the endangered animals in Madagascar:
- Malagasy pochard (Aythya innotata)
- Malagasy Eagle (Haliaeetus vociferoides)
- Malagasy Teal (Anas bernieri)
- Malagasy Heron (Ardea humbloti)
- Culebrero goshawk (Eutriorchis astur)
- Malagasy marcilla (Ardeola idae)
- Malagasy Grebe (Tachybaptus pelzelnii)
- Angonoka Turtle (Astrochelys yniphora)
- Madagascar mollusk (Madagasikara madagascarensis)
- Sacred Ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus bernieri)
- Webb's Toad (Gephyromantis webbi)
Animals from the Madagascar movie
Madagascar has been an island for more than 160 million years, however, many people began to know this place because of the famous film by the Dreamworks studio that bears its name. That is why, in the following section, we have brought you some of the animals from the Madagascar movie.
- Alex, the lion: he is the main star of the zoo.
- Marty the Zebra: Perhaps the most adventurous and dreamy zebra that ever lived.
- Gloria, the hippo: intelligent, cheerful and friendly, but with a lot of character.
- Melman, the giraffe: distrustful, skittish and hypochondriac.
- The fearsome pits: they are the bad guys in the movie, carnivorous and dangerous.
- Maurice, la aye-aye: He's always upset, but he's hilarious.
