Oream Island
Marvels in Madagascar
Speckled with what looks like glam rock makeup, the chameleon Furcifer timoni was recently discovered African island nation of Madagascar
Since 1999, almost on weekly basis, scientists from World Wildlife Fund have discovered an array of 615 new species, some of which a colorful and lovable while some are bizarre and downright scary. And this decade long finding, which discovered world's tiniest primate as well as a color-altering gecko, also states that these magnificent new species as well as plants are under threat, chiefly because of the increasing rate of destruction of Madagascar's forest. According to a latest report by WWF, this island nation, located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa, now houses newly discovered species of 41 mammals, 385 plants, 69 amphibians, 61 reptiles, 17 fish and 42 invertebrates (animals without any backbone). Few words are in order regarding why so many new species in Madagascar at the first place. It is believed that Madagascar was separated from Africa and the Indian subcontinent sometime between 80 million to 100 million years ago. And this geographical separation turned the island into a jewel in the realm of biodiversity allowing Madagascar's plant and animal residents to evolve into fantastical forms and not only that, experts suggest that about 70 percent of its species are also unseen anywhere else on the planet! And the recent finding of the WWF is simply a reflection of that. And in the words of Nanie Ratsifandrihamanana, WWF Madagascar's conservation director, "All the species are so special, and many are unique to Madagascar. They don't exist anywhere else in the world". The concentrated area for this study was PK32-Ranobe which is basically a biological hotspot of biodiversity and an area that is almost completely surrounded by mining concessions. Amongst key discoveries include, a 10cm long (4inch) Berthe's mouse lemur (Microcebus berthae) and weighing in at just about an ounce (30 grams) which clearly makes it world's smallest known primate. In 1992, there were only two known species of mouse lemurs but since then the number jumped into 15 species. And also there's the 4cm-long Komac's golden orb spider (Nephila komaci) that spins webs up to a meter in diameter, the cork bark leaf-tailed gecko that looks just like the bark of a tree, allowing it to hide quite effortlessly from predators. And the Tahina palm (Tahina spectabilis) a massive fan palm which flowers just once in a lifetime. Aside from these, the colorful chameleon species, Furcifer timoni with their vibrant "glam rock attire", Boophis bottae, one of the 69 amphibians discovered over the last 11 years, Calumma tarzan, a new species of chameleon found in the central and Eastern Madagascar, the spotted Madagascar rainbow-fish, Bedotia marjejy and the bright pink snake (Liophidium pattoni) that grows about 16 inches (40 centimeters) and preys on small rodents and lizards, all of which that truly stands out amongst the newly discoveries. But unfortunately, it's not all good news. Many of the creatures discovered are already endangered and drastically losing their habitat. Madagascar's forests, from the year 1950 to 1990, were basically cleared at a rate of about 2% a year. And according to WWF, the island has lost 90 percent of its original forest cover.
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