Five incredible aspects that you probably didn’t know about Madagascar

Five incredible aspects that you probably didn’t know about Madagascar

  1. It is the fourth largest island in the world

Madagascar is big. It is the fourth largest island on the planet (it is larger than Spain, Thailand, Sweden and Germany).

  1. It is a paradise for wildlife lovers

According to the Conservation International, only 17 countries in the world are considered “mega different”. Each has a vast number of different animal species, many of which are not found anywhere else. Madagascar is one of these. Among the animals that inhabit the island, more than half of the world’s chameleon species and a dozen species of lemurs live on this island.

Unlike the film Madagascar, you do not see tigers, giraffes and hippos.

  1. and bird watchers

Inserted in one of the most amazing habitats in the world, the long-tailed Jay is unique and considered by birdwatchers among the most exclusive bird species in the world. ” The coastal town of Toliara, in the southwest of Madagascar, is surrounded by lagoons , mudflats, swamps of fresh water and, above all, from clearings of the curious Didiereacea endemic of Madagascar. These huge octopus-like trees sprout from the sandy soil, giving the place a surreal feeling.

  1. some of his animal creatures are simply strange

There is the giraffe weevil of Madagascar. Unique makes it the incredible long neck. Among other things, the neck of the males is 3 times longer than that of the females. It owes its name because of the neck that is long (always in proportion of the animal) as a giraffe. These cute beetles of the Attelabdae family, reach 25 mm and have a joint on the neck, an additional neck. This is the result of the adaptation of the insect, in fact it uses it a lot for the construction of the nest, characteristic that only the males do. They use it skillfully to create rolls with leaves, where the female will then place a single egg.

Finally, the giant rat of Madagascar, known locally as votsotsa or votsovotsa, has long ears similar to those of rabbits and large hind legs. Both males and females reach the usual size of a rabbit weighing about 1 – 1.5 kilograms for 30 to 35 centimeters in length with the tail about 20 to 25 centimeters.

The giant rat of Madagascar is similar to the rabbit also because of its behavior, in fact it jumps instead of running. Thanks to its powerful hind legs, it can also jump 90 centimeters, which is why it was also named giant leaping rat.

5. Preserve sites recognized by the humanity world heritage  

The royal hill of Ambohimanga, a 500-year-old burial site, the Atsinanana rainforests, house of many rare species of lemurs, and the Tsingy de Bemaraha Nature Reserve, northeast of the town of Morondava. The latter is reached with a journey of about 8 hours of track, crossing 2 rivers on board rafts. It is difficult to describe this surprising park, unique in its kind and classified by UNESCO as a “World Heritage Site”. Imagine a great mass of karstic origin that extends from south to north for about 100 km, carved by the phenomenon of erosion in a very unique way, jagged with spiers (in Malagasy tsingy) hundreds of meters high, sharp and sharp, among them deep canyon. Although access to the Park is not easy and compels the traveler to deviate from the traditional routes by flying over Morondava and going both on the outward and return path a long track in rough, the Tsingy de Bemeraha Park certainly deserves to be seen.

Madagascar