Amazing fauna of Madagascar. Amazing animals of Madagascar Animal world of Madagascar

The dizzying wildlife of Madagascar is impressive with a huge variety of mammals, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and more. From 1999 to 2010, scientists discovered 615 new species on the island, including 41 mammals and 61 reptiles. Madagascar is an island off the coast of Africa, where about 75% of species are endemic, that is, they do not live anywhere else in the world. Tropical and dry deciduous forests, as well as ample fresh water, have created excellent habitats for rare and endangered species.

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Madagascar is the only place in the world where the lemur family lives. Among them is one of the rarest mammals on earth - silky sifaka(Propithecus candidus), a lemur called the "angel of the forest" because of its white fur.

photo Silky Sifaka

A very interesting lemur that is difficult to spot because it is nocturnal. ah-ah(Daubentoniamadagascariensis). It lives in tropical forests and feeds on insect larvae that it finds under the bark of trees. Today, this lemur is threatened by habitat loss (rainforest destruction) and hunting. In some areas, locals believe that the aye-aye brings bad luck and kill the animal whenever they encounter it.

photo Ai-Ai

Indri(Indriindri) is the largest lemur on the island. It primarily feeds on fruits and leaves in the rainforests of eastern Madagascar. Indri is famous for its eerie singing, which sounds a bit like the sounds of a humpback whale. Today, the Indri is endangered due to habitat loss.

photo Indri

The largest representative of the viverridae family in the world and the largest predator of Madagascar - fossa(Cryptoproctaferox). Outwardly it resembles a small puma, but it is not related. The length of the body with tail reaches 1.5 m, weight - 12 kg. Stays lonely. The female gives birth to 2-4 blind cubs. They are fed milk for five months, and the size of adult animals reaches only up to 3-4 years. Fossa is an excellent tree climber, helped in this by her powerful claws and tail. Can live in rocks and bushes.

photo by Fossa

Madagascar's wildlife is home to about half the world's chameleon species (about 150 species). They are small, medium-sized reptiles that are famous for their ability to change color dramatically. One of the smallest chameleons and a tiny lizard - Brookesia minor(Brookesiaminima) feeds on insects and lives along the lower part of the rainforest, or dry deciduous forest, in much of Madagascar. To avoid predators, this chameleon will use its hair and can also pretend to be dead.

photo M scarlet brookesia

There are also many snakes on the island that you will not see anywhere else in the world, but it is unlikely that any of them has such an amazing appearance as leaf-nosed Madagascar grass snake(Langaha madagascariensis). Deciduous snakes, unlike many others, have pronounced signs of sexual dimorphism. This one prefers to ambush tree lizards, birds, frogs and rodents.

photo Leaf-nosed Madagascar grass snake

Reptiles are represented extremely widely. One of the large forms lives in Madagascar Nile crocodile(Crocodylus niloticus). This species was once widespread in fresh water bodies, but after many years of hunting for its skin, the Nile crocodile became a rare animal. There are also many turtles on the island, for example spider(Pyxisarachnoides), only 10 cm long, or very rare Madagascar beaked tortoise(Asterochelysyniphora). For which exotic lovers are illegally willing to pay up to $200,000. There are no real lizards, monitor lizards and agamas in Madagascar, only iguanas And geckos.

photo Spider turtle

(Phelsuma madagascariensis madagascariensis), unlike most geckos, which are nocturnal, is a diurnal lizard. In addition to Madagascar, it is also found on nearby islands, including the Comoros, Andaman and Seychelles. This gecko feeds mainly on insects, but sometimes eats fruits and flower nectar.

photo Madagascar day gecko

Differs in great variety. Unique species of unusually large size and varied colors are common on the island. Among them is the world's largest butterfly - comet(Argemamittrei). The volume of its bright wings can reach 20 cm, and its tail can grow up to 15 cm in length. This butterfly does not feed, but lives off the nutrients accumulated in the caterpillar stage. The lifespan of a comet is only 4-5 days.

photo Butterfly comet

The fauna of Madagascar has a relatively small species diversity of birds - 258, but 115 of them are endemic. There are many unique specimens on the island. The island is home to three species of rails (Mesitornithidae). All of them are endemic. The birds are about 30 cm long, have short wings and a thick tail. They prefer to live in pairs or small flocks. They feed on seeds and insects. All three species build platform nests low in bushes.

photo Cowgirl

About 20 species of fish live in rivers and freshwater reservoirs. The warm waters of the Indian Ocean surrounding Madagascar are rich in various species of commercial fish.

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Madagascar, located in East Africa, is home to various rare animals. Many of them are on the verge of extinction. Some of Madagascar's inhabitants have been immortalized in a cartoon of the same name, but the island's nature is far more diverse and amazing than any computer animation.

The Madagascar leaf-tailed gecko has to be seen to be believed, but it's not that easy. They are masters of camouflage, each gecko has its own unique way of blending in with its surroundings: some can be mistaken for leaves, some for tree bark. Their color and reflective body make them almost invisible. There are 10 species of leaf-tailed geckos, all of which are found in Madagascar and surrounding islands. The largest of them is Uroplatus giganteus.



Argemma mittrei, also known as the Madagascar comet, is the largest butterfly in the peacock eye family. Their colorful wingspan can reach 20 cm, and their tail can grow up to 15 cm in length. Butterflies do not feed and live off the nutrients accumulated in the caterpillar stage. Life expectancy is 4-5 days. They are capable of reproducing on the first day after emerging from the cocoon; females can lay up to 170 eggs at a time. The caterpillars feed on fresh eucalyptus leaves; pupation lasts from 2 to 6 monthsa



The tomato frog is an ambush predator found only in the northern, wetter part of Madagascar. They mainly feed on insects. Although they are frogs, they also have some features inherent in toads: the absence of webbed feet; When they are threatened, they, like toads, secrete a sticky whitish secretion from their skin. Only females have a characteristic color, which gave the name to this species. Males are light brown in color.



Aye-aye is an animal that is also found only in Madagascar. These nocturnal arboreal primates are well adapted to life in the trees thanks to their large, thin toes and tails longer than their bodies, allowing them to cling to tree branches. Remarkably, they are the only primates that use echolocation to find prey. With their thin middle fingers they knock on trees and hear the movement of insects, and then use the same finger to pull them out. Because of their strange appearance, the inhabitants of Madagascar consider them a symbol of misfortune and, like many other animal inhabitants of the island, they are on the verge of extinction



Marsh tenrecs are one of the most elusive animals in the world. They have only been found in Madascar and, since the largest tenrecs reach a length of 17 cm, they are difficult to spot. Several species of tenrecs live in Madagascar, but the swamp ones are distinguished by their ability to adapt to water conditions: their webbed feet allow them to swim excellently in the waters of eastern Madagascar. They feed on insects and tadpoles caught in the water.



Like other chameleons, the panther chameleon changes color depending on its condition, but these chameleons have a very wide range of color changes, especially in males during courtship. But these creatures are amazing not only because of their color. They can simultaneously rotate their eyes independently of each other to simultaneously follow two objects at once. Once they locate their prey, they focus both eyes on it before seizing it with their long, sticky tongue.



The Madagascar pochard is one of the rarest ducks in the world. These medium-sized birds feed on invertebrates, seeds and aquatic plants and are able to remain underwater for up to two minutes. Just recently, this species was considered extinct until 22 ducks were discovered on Lake Matsaborimena in 2006. Thanks to a conservation campaign launched in 2009, the population has quadrupled. Many ducks were raised in captivity and then released into the wild. However, they are still on the verge of extinction. Lake Matsaborimena is not the best habitat and there are concerns that there is too little food for all the ducks to survive.



This is not a cat or a dog, this is a fossa - one of the predators of Madagascar. Until recently, they were classified as members of the cat family, but in fact they belong to the mongoose family. It's no wonder that people have long been mistaken about their origins - all because of their strange appearance. With a dog-like snout and a cat-like body, this animal is one of the largest mammalian predators in Madagascar. Their length from the muzzle to the tip of the tail can reach up to 2 meters. The fossa is a nocturnal animal that mostly feeds on lemurs. They also eat reptiles, birds, and mammals. They are very mobile, their long tail allows them to maintain balance as they move from branch to branch. Unfortunately, they are very rare, people not only destroy them, but they also destroyed 90% of the habitat of these animals.



There are many snakes in Madagascar that cannot be found anywhere else in the world, but hardly any of them have such an amazing appearance as the Malagasy leaf snake. These snakes, which like to hang from tree branches, are distinguished by special nasal processes. Leaf-bearing snakes, unlike many others, have pronounced signs of sexual dimorphism. Nasal processes appear on them from birth and serve as a means of camouflage, since snakes usually attack from ambush. When snakes simply lie down, their nasal processes resemble the leaves of Madagascar trees, and the tree lizards they hunt do not immediately notice them. And when they notice, it's too late...



This web is 10 times stronger than Kevlar and twice as strong as any previously known web. This web of the Darwin spider can reach gigantic sizes - up to three square meters, and it is also found over rivers and lakes (about 25 square meters in size). This web was first discovered thanks to 30 insects caught in it, mainly butterflies. The unique strength, size and location of the web means it can be placed in places where no spider would survive, greatly reducing competition for food and space. Not bad for a spider, the female of which reaches 2.5 cm in length, and the male is even smaller.



Translated specifically for fishki.net

The largest island of the Indian Ocean - Madagascar - is often called by geographers "a continent in miniature".

This is explained, firstly, by the extraordinary diversity of its landscapes, and secondly, by the unique flora and fauna that distinguishes it from nearby Africa and from other parts of the world.

The combination of tropical rainforests, tall grass savannas and even semi-deserts, mountain ranges, plateaus and coastal plains, extinct volcanoes and coral reefs, swampy lagoons and mangroves, monsoon and trade winds determines the existence of a wide variety of landscapes on the island, and the animals and plants of Madagascar, three quarters of which are found only here, are not at all similar to African ones, and if they have relatives, it is usually in Indochina and Indonesia, and even in South America.

Madagascar is a mountainous country. Almost half of it is occupied by the High Plateau, stretching across the entire island from north to south.

On the eastern coast, where trade winds bring moisture from the Indian Ocean, it rains, stormy and heavy, almost every day. Due to the strong wind accompanying them, the rain jets are directed almost horizontally, and no umbrellas or awnings can protect you from them.

Strictly speaking, there is a distinction between wet and dry seasons.

But the latter, lasting from May to November, differs only in that occasionally there are days without precipitation.

In July, at the height of winter, the thermometer shows plus sixteen, and in February the temperature reaches thirty-four degrees.

On the steep slopes of the plateau grow evergreen forests of ferns, tamarinds, palms and other tropical trees, entwined with vines and decorated with colorful orchids.

There are many valuable tree species in these forests. In different types of rosewood, for example, the wood can be purple, pink and even black. There are also rubber plants here. And varnish is made from the resin of the copal tree.

But of all the trees in Madagascar, the most famous is the ravenala.

In appearance, it looks like a banana, only the banana has leaves that grow straight from the ground, and the ravenala has a real trunk, from the top of which huge leaves diverge, like the spokes of a wheel, torn by the wind along the edges.

Where the leaf cuttings gather towards the trunk, there are special containers containing several liters of water.

Having met a ravenala, a tired traveler can always quench his thirst. It is not for nothing that it is also called the “travelers’ tree.”

The vines of Madagascar are unique. The pod of one of them, the entada vine, reaches two meters in length and one and a half meters in width!

Several of these pods, split in half, serve perfectly as a roof for a hut. Ropes are made from vines, baskets and mats are woven.

And some, especially durable ones, are used to build houses, since they are the only plants on the island that termites do not touch.

In the west, where the mountains do not allow rain clouds to pass through, savanna reigns, and in some places in the south there is a hot semi-desert, since precipitation here is rare and falls only in winter.

During the dry season, not a drop of moisture is shed for months, and the temperature rises to forty degrees!

Forests in the west are found only in river valleys, and the savannah is overgrown with tough, brush-like grass, and only here and there small baobabs and fan palms grow.

Trees in the western part of the island shed their leaves in the winter so as not to evaporate moisture during the dry season.

The uniqueness of the fauna of Madagascar can only be compared with that of Australia.

The main treasure of the island's fauna is, of course, lemurs.

These funny animals, resembling a cross between a monkey and a cat, live in forests and are nocturnal.

They have large eyes that glow in the dark and a shrill voice that resembles the capricious cry of a child.

The largest of the lemurs are the indri.

They are easily tamed, and the inhabitants of the island - the Malagasy - often use them for hunting instead of dogs.

Another genus of lemur, with a fox-like head and a long tail, is the maquis.

They are very lively and active, keep in flocks and often catch your eye in the evenings when they jump through the trees in search of tasty fruits.

The complete opposite of them is the slow loris.

This clumsy and clumsy baby is as slow as an Australian koala.

Also interesting is the aye-aye, or little hand-footed lemur, an angry flat-headed lemur with huge ears and a very long tail.

It lives in bamboo forests, feeds on the core of bamboo and sugar cane, and does not disdain beetles and larvae.

With its long fingers, the aye-aye easily extracts the contents from the trunks of bamboo and reeds. This gourmet is very afraid of light. As soon as the sun rises, he falls asleep with his head between his legs and his long tail wrapped around it.

The Malgash consider lemurs to be sacred animals. There is a legend that once upon a time they were people, and then, living in the forest, they grew hair and turned into animals.

When meeting a lemur in the forest, hunters always politely greet it, and animals that accidentally fall into a trap are certainly freed and released into the wild.

The only predator on the island is the reddish-black fossa - the ferret cat.

She is the size of a large dog, but not tall, since her legs are short.

Malgashi are very afraid of fossu. There are many legends and hunting stories about her bloodthirstiness and strength.

Found in Madagascar, the mongoose is the main snake killer.

And in mountain forests live shy and timid eared hedgehogs - tenrecs (lat. Tenrecidae).

These rather large (rabbit-sized) animals emerge from their burrows only at dusk and busily begin to look for food - small insects.

In winter they hibernate.

The Madagascar bird world is vibrant and unusual.

Here you can find green parrots, bright red cardinals, blue pigeons, Sultan's hens, ibises and guinea fowl.

Once upon a time, huge Epiornis birds, similar to giant cassowaries, lived on the island.

The height of these giants reached five meters! They became extinct quite recently, since Marco Polo mentioned them in his book. And later, in the 18th century, sailors sailing to the island heard the cries of these birds.

The giant egg of Aepyornis was equal in volume to 150 ostrich eggs. The Malgash made vessels from them that could hold eight liters of water.

There are no poisonous snakes in Madagascar, and the only truly dangerous animals here are crocodiles. The swamps and lakes of the island are literally teeming with them.

And among European collectors, the amazingly beautiful butterflies of Madagascar are held in special esteem.

Goliath - the largest of them - can easily be mistaken for a bird.

This is a brown butterfly with a pink belly. Urania is surprisingly picturesque, rightly considered the most beautiful butterfly in the world.

Her wings seem to shimmer with all possible colors. The Madagascar butterfly also amazes with its intricate pattern on its wings.

There are a lot of chameleons of various sizes on the island.

Because of their unattractive appearance, malgashes consider them to be evil and harmful creatures, although in fact they bring great benefit by exterminating flies and other annoying insects.

The chameleon, in fact, is a relative of lizards, but nature clearly deprived it of agility.

Sometimes it seems that in his veins there is not blood, but carpenter's glue - his movements are so viscous and slow.

And only the chameleon’s tongue is thrown forward with lightning speed when the prey is within reach.

The chameleon is known primarily for its extraordinary ability to change color to match the color of the surrounding background, which makes it completely invisible in the forest.

The unusual animals and plants of Madagascar are widely known, but there is an amazing place in the west, about the nature of which even the inhabitants of the island know little.

This is the Bemaraha plateau, located in the Manambolo River basin near the coast of the Mozambique Channel. Everything here is amazing: fantastic terrain, animals and plants; perhaps the last untouched corner of Madagascar’s wild nature has been preserved here.

The limestone plateau of Bemaraha rises 400 meters above the Manambolo Valley. The river cut through it a grandiose gorge with white layered walls. And around the gorge there is... a stone forest!

Bizarrely carved by karst processes, the rocky ridges - karrs - bristled with thousands of sharp peaks, between which the water made deep cracks, and turned each boulder into a sharp jagged sword.

The huge rocky labyrinth is practically impassable: limestone towers and walls overgrown with thorns have formed a network of natural bastions throughout the plateau, reliably protecting it from aliens.

The Bemaraha region is poor in precipitation: the dry season here lasts up to eight months. And in fractured limestones, even the moisture brought by rare rains quickly sinks into the depths, so only plants well adapted to drought can survive here.

An ebony tree, for example, turns green only during the rainy season, and the rest of the time it stands naked, saving water.

The baobab, on the contrary, accumulates water in its gnarled and powerful trunk, up to nine meters thick, and thanks to this it survives during the dry season.

Bizarre creatures inhabit the stone forest of Bemaraha.

It is an armored chameleon that resembles a small dragon or dinosaur with its spiny spines on its spine and pointed knobs on its head.

A peculiar Madagascar rat with large ears is also found here.

If you don't notice its long tail, it could easily be mistaken for a rabbit.

And on the trees that grow in the crevices of the rocks, little monkeys and poppies live, enlivening the deserted rocky landscape with their funny jumps and piercing screams.

Groups of outlier rocks formed by karst processes are found in other places in the world, for example, in the Qingling region of China or in Ha Long Bay in Vietnam.

But there these limestone pillars and towers always have a rounded or flat top. And only here, in Madagascar, such an amazing pointed stone forest arose.

The attractiveness of this corner also lies in the fact that not a single person has yet visited the depths of the plateau, and one can only guess what discoveries await scientists there.

The nature of Madagascar still keeps many secrets that will be revealed only to inquisitive travelers who have managed to overcome all the difficulties that arise for the pioneers of the mountains, jungles and mysterious rock labyrinths of this unique island.

In the tropical zone of the southern hemisphere, where the Indian Ocean begins, is the island state of Madagascar, separated from southeast Africa by the Mozambique Channel.

This is one of the greatest islands on earth. In size it is second only to Greenland and New Guinea, and its area is almost 600 thousand km 2. The average width of the island is about 450 km, and the length of the island is almost 1700 km. The island's population is 22.6 million people and continues to grow. Most of the inhabitants of Madagascar are indigenous Malagasy. Also living on the island are the French, Indians, Chinese and Arabs. There are two official languages ​​on the island: Malagasy and French. Most of the island's inhabitants adhere to traditional beliefs, but Christianity is also widespread on the island. They are settled on the island in the local currency, Ariari, although the familiar dollars are also in circulation. The island's time zone is UTC+3.

Animal world

The fauna of Madagascar is diverse, but its originality can only be partially compared with that of Australia or Africa. This is a completely special zoogeographical region that cannot be found anywhere else. Many scientists suggest that Madagascar is a remnant of a once great continent that was located in what is now the Indian Ocean. The fauna of the mainland died along with it, and only those animals that were located on the territory of modern Madagascar survived. If this version is erroneous and Madagascar simply separated from the African continent, then this happened long before the current flora and fauna formed on African territory. It is according to one of these two versions that in Madagascar there are very few animals that are familiar to Africa. The island preserves ancient forms of animal life, such as lemurs, insectivores, and various types of chameleons.

Lemurs. These animals are also called “semi-monkeys”. They can only be found in the forests of Madagascar and mainly at night. During the day they sleep in tree hollows. At least four species of lemurs are common on the island: Madagascar common, indi, maki and aye-aye. They are all similar in appearance and differ only in the size of the body, the length of the tail, color, habits and the sounds they make.

Of the predators on the island, they are ubiquitous ferret cats, which have been terrifying local residents for hundreds of years, destroying domestic animals and birds. The animal is famous for its bloodthirstiness. The ferret cat has short legs and a dog-like body.

A shy animal lives in the mountains and wooded thickets of Madagascar Tenrec, which looks like a hedgehog and is as tall as a rabbit. This is a representative of insectivores, which can only be seen in the summer, and even then in the evening or at night. In winter, the animal hibernates.

The island is home to many other animals. Separately, we can highlight the water pig (a large rodent), the African wild boar, as well as the humpbacked zebu bull, which local residents raise for meat. More familiar animals include lions, elephants, and antelopes. Also on the island there are large sea turtles and bats.

Vegetable world

The development of the flora of Madagascar was greatly influenced by the early separation of the island from the African continent. That is why the island has preserved many plants that are difficult to find in other parts of the planet.

The central and eastern part of Madagascar is covered with rugged tropical forests, in which more than three and a half hundred different trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants grow. The most interesting are black ebony, the wood of which is very expensive, rubber vines, raffia palms and baobabs. The plant symbol of the island is considered to be the royal delonix or “fire tree”. The symbol of travelers and tourists on the island is considered to be the Madagascar ravenapa or “travel tree”.

Kitchen

The main component of Madagascan cuisine is rice. It is prepared in all possible ways: boiled, stewed, fried and combined with various fillings: vegetables, fish, meat. Also, local food is simply impossible without various spices and sauces, which are added everywhere except sweet dishes. Vegetable salads, which are prepared from tomatoes, corn, beans and other vegetables, are also very popular on the island.
A huge amount of fruit grows on the island. These include the familiar bananas, strawberries, mangoes, persimmons, pineapples, coconuts, and more exotic fruits, such as annona, guava, and lychee. Fruits are often used to make fruit salads, drinks, and simply added to main dishes.

Sights of Madagascar

The main attraction of Madagascar is, of course, its amazing nature and unusual animals. We list a few places that all tourists who travel to Madagascar must visit.

Volcano Ankaratra. Thousands of tourists annually visit this volcano, which “fell asleep” several thousand years ago. It is one of the highest in the region, reaching up to 2645 meters. Several centuries ago, robbers hid there from justice, but today this volcano is one of the island’s attractions.

If you are looking for a real paradise on earth, then the island of Ile Sainte-Marie is one of the contenders for this nomination. This is a small island that is located just 7 kilometers off the east coast of Madagascar. On the island you can find magnificent beaches, comfortable hotels and very beautiful nature. Well, the main entertainment on the island is watching humpback whales, which appear in the local waters every year in the summer.

Kirindy Forest. This forest is perhaps the most visited place by tourists in Madagascar. This is a great place to see animals that are nocturnal. The forest is home to unusual species of animals and birds, and unique types of trees grow.

Tsingy de Bemaraha Nature Reserve. This reserve is located in the west of the island and was created to protect unusual karst landscapes and rare species of lemurs. Almost the entire reserve looks like one large labyrinth of limestone teeth that appeared as a result of rains and other natural factors. It is problematic for a person to move around the reserve without special shoes, but the lemurs, of which there are thousands, feel right at home.

Madagascar is an island with rich and very beautiful nature. The distinctive culture of the indigenous people, delicious cuisine, amazing natural monuments and rare species of animals - this is Madagascar, an island that is easy to fall in love with.

Indri monkeys are relatives of lemurs. Another name for this species of primate is babakoto. Funny name, isn't it?

In the local language, the name “indri” means “here he is.” May be. This monkey looks so amazing that when people noticed it, they tried to show it to each other?

These monkeys are the largest among the representatives of the infraorder of lemurs living in Madagascar. Indris belong to the order of primates, the Indriidae family. Let's try to find out more about these lemurs.

Appearance of babakoto

Indri monkeys can weigh up to 9.5 kilograms. The body length of the animal is from 64 to 90 centimeters. This is not so little for a monkey.

The indri has a short tail. The limbs are different: the hind limbs are much longer than the front ones. Depending on the area of ​​residence, coat color may vary. But the main colors are gray, white and black. Often, a light triangle stands out on the back of a babakoto. The fur on the head and back is black. There is no fur on the face at all.

Indri habitats

Babacoto live on the island of Madagascar. They are mainly found in the northeastern region.

Indri lifestyle and nutrition

These lemurs prefer rain forests. There they can live up to an altitude of 1800 meters above sea level. But the Indris love the lowlands more.

The main part of the babakoto's life is spent in trees. These animals have almost no need to descend to the ground. And why would they do this? After all, trees have everything they need to live.

Babacoto move spasmodically, both on the ground and along branches, for this nature provided them with long hind limbs.

Indris are more active during daylight hours. At night, they can leave their roost only if the weather in the forest is bad, or if they are being pursued by a predator. During the day, indris bask under the warm Madagascar sun, lounging on a tree branch.

The social structure is such that these monkeys form small groups to live together. In such a community there are no more than five individuals. As a rule, the members of the group are a female with a male and their babies. In this family, the female is considered the main one, and the male is assigned a secondary role.

Another distinctive feature of the Babakoto monkey is its loud singing. She loves to sing her songs throughout the forest, especially in the morning. Sometimes such “concerts” are heard in the forest a couple of kilometers from the place where the “singer” is located.

Babacoto's diet consists of plant foods. These primates feast on ripe fruits, leaves, and flower petals. Sometimes, to prevent poisoning from poisonous leaves, indris swallow a handful of earth, which absorbs all the toxins in the body.

Reproduction

The pregnancy of a female babakoto lasts about five months. After which one baby is born. For the first six months, the baby eats only mother's milk. After weaning and living for a couple more months, the young indri becomes independent. Puberty in young animals occurs at seven to nine years of age.

Among the features of the Babakoto relationship, researchers note exceptional fidelity to each other in a couple.