Madagascar November 2015

[Tony Willis]

Excellent report-really good to see.

Thank you

[Hoy]

You are welcome, Tony. My pleasure

[Hoy]

An easy walk but we started very early to avoid the afternoon heat.




Superficially looking like a Rhododendron, but definitely not! Probably a Solanum.






Unknown drought resistant shrub.




An attractive Euphorbia. Probably E. milii.

[Hoy]

Wild fruit trees. The small cherry sized fruits tasted very good but the flesh was thin. Uapaca bojeri, endemic to Madagascar.




Sorry - unknown. Grewia sp.






Resident of the dry grassland. Phymateus saxosus madagascariensis




An attractive Oxalis. One of about 25 species.

[Hoy]

Another Oxalis, growing well both in full sun and in shade.






Beautiful landscape.

[ashley]

It's fascinating to see these plants and landscapes Trond, mostly new to me. 
Your pictures are also a welcome antidote to the wind, rain and watery light here in NW Europe. 
Thanks for sharing them.

[Matt T]

Fascinating is exactly the word I wanted to use too. The plants and landscapes are so different to anything we have here - your photo report is much needed escapism for us. Thanks!

[Hoy]

You are welcome Ashley!

And you are right, it was a shock to come back from the warm southerly latitudes to the wet stormy weather at home

[Hoy]

... and Matt

[ashley]

Wonderful chameleons
I'd always assumed that Madagascar as their present centre of diversity was where they evolved but Wikipedia tells me that they came from Africa.

[Matt T]

... and Matt


(Attachment Link)

Beautiful! This is a panther chameleon, which is the largest (and once of the most colourful) species. I once kept and bred the Yemen chameleon. They're such intriguing creatures.

I believe they originated when Madagascar was attached to Africa, then, like the lemurs and tenrecs evolved an amazing diversity there to fill ecological niches and in the absence of predators etc. once the island separated.

[Steve Garvie]

Nice images Trond!!!
Your first chameleon is an Oustalet's Chameleon (Furcifer oustaleti) sometimes just called Madagascar Giant Chameleon (though Parson's Chameleon from the eastern rain forest is larger). The second is a Panther Chameleon (Furcifer pardalis) -which is smaller and exists in a number of very colourful races (territorial males). Both do well in secondary degraded forest and shrubby farmland/gardens. They seem to have benefitted From Tavy (Malagasy slash and burn agriculture).

Whilst Madagascar is a biodiversity hotspot for chameleons, the African mainland does seem to be their "initial" home. Some of the most bizarre species (with horns, dorsal sail-fins and flapping "ears") come from small enclaves on the mainland such as Mount Cameroon and the Ruwenzori Mountains.

[Gabriela]

Keep them coming Trond! Maybe start a series - Madagascar photo of the day
That is the most amazing cricket I've ever seen (looks like a cricket to me). Superb ornamentation! Is it poisonous or a mimic?

[Hoy]

Gabriela,

The one pictured is poisonous - often called Rainbow bush locust or Rainbow milkweed locust. The toxicity stems from the milkweed they eat.

We also saw another about the same size (and lots of smaller ones) but not that colourful, which was said to be good to eat when roasted. We didn't try though

Here is another colourful guy:




... and I still have quite a few pictures left.

[Maggi Young]

Some  beautiful scenery - and I do like the animals.   All so very smartly dressed!