Discovering the Fascinating Wildlife of Madagascar

If you are looking for a unique tailormade wildlife holiday, Madagascar has some great options. This incredible country is abundant with wildlife and is one of the most diverse areas on the planet. Research a tailormade wildlife holiday to Madagascar and experience this very special country for yourself.

Madagascar is an isolated island that is home to an incredible 200,000 species. (When you consider the size of the island - about twice the size of Arizona – it is a huge amount of inhabitants.) Perhaps the most fascinating thing about this island is that, thanks to its complete isolation from Africa’s mainland, 150,000 of these species are endemic - existing nowhere else in the world. It is hard to imagine that over 50 kinds of Lemur alone are completely unique to this island.

On a tailormade wildlife trip to Madagascar you will have plenty of opportunity to see so many interesting and unusual species. For example, there is a huge population of frogs on the island, but no toads at all! Strangely, too, many of the island’s inhabitants are related to Asian species as opposed to African ones.

Lovely Lemurs

Despite the plethora of wildlife associated with Madagascar, the lemurs are the definite highlight. Their name, derived from the Latin for ghost, was bestowed because of their predominantly nocturnal lifestyle. As the world’s oldest primates, the lemurs are very well suited to the landscape of the island, which varies drastically depending on which side of the main mountains you are. One side is covered in lush jungle while the other is bone dry, relying on sporadic episodes of unreliable rainfall. Physical Characteristics

Lemurs have very large eyes and weigh about 2-3 kg (some species have a ringed tail). When stood on their back legs they can reach up to 1.5 metres. Active mainly under the cover of darkness, these secretive and enigmatic animals move stealthily and often wail eerily into the night – possibly another reason for their ghostly moniker. The lemur eats mainly fruit and leaves and are very sociable animals, living in groups of up to 40 members. Males move between groups while females tend to remain in the same group for life. They love the trees, are fantastic climbers and can leap form tree to tree with incredible grace. Living for almost 30 years, these animals enjoy a safe and relatively harmonious existence in their natural habitat. On a tailormade wildlife holiday to Madagascar you may have the opportunity to get involved in night walks in the forests as well as day expeditions, to ensure that you get the most out of your experience. And it's not just about the lemurs – delightful as they may be. The tiny Mouse Lemur, the Chameleons and plenty of birdlife, including Mesites and Vangas are worth looking out for too.

Marissa Ellis-Snow is a freelance nature writer. If you’re looking for a tailormade wildlife holiday Naturetrek specialises in expert-led natural history and wildlife tours worldwide. Naturetrek brings over 25 years of experience to polar expeditions and tours to other spectacular regions on Earth.

Writer and Online Marketing Manager in London.