1. THE MADAGASCAR FOSSA (pronounced fo-saw)
This catlike animal is the largest mammalian carnivore living in Madagascar. Because of convergent evolution, it resembles a cat but it is NOT one. It is more closely related to civets and mongooses, and it is a top-predator (but not a man-eater). It has short legs, a long body, and a long tail (up to half of its body length). It weighs up 22 pounds, has sharp teeth, strong jaws, and retractable claws. It is an excellent climber and lives in trees. It hunts by day or night and mainly preys upon lemurs, wild pigs, and small livestock. It is secretive and solitary. Attacks on humans by fossa are very rare. They live up to 10 years in the wild and 20 years in zoos. They are a “vulnerable species” because of human causes. The geologic time range of fossa is late Pleistocene to recent.
Classification
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Mammalia
Order Carnivora
Family Eupleridae
Genus Cryptoprotcta
Type Species C. ferox
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2. CAMELEON FUCIFER PARADALIS
Fucifer paradalis = “Panther Chamelon”
This chameleon is native to rainforests in lowlands in northeastern Madagascar, as well as to drier forests/savannahs in northwest Madagascar. The brightly colored males can be up to 21 inches long (male), whereas the females are 14 inches long. They all can have variable, vibrant rainbow colors (greens, blues, reds, oranges). They have independently rotating eyes with 180 degrees if vision. Their feet can grip branches, and their tail is prehensile. They are solitary and highly territorial. They are “ambush predators “with a ballistic projecting tongue, twice their body length. They live up to five years in captivity, but only about two years otherwise. Their total lifespan is about seven years. Their geologic time range is from mid Paleocene (about 60 million years ago), but molecular and phylogenetic studies suggest a much earlier occurrence.
Classification
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Reptilia
Order Squamata
Suborder Iguania
Family Chamaelonidae
Genus Fucifer
Type Species Chamaeleo bifidus
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3. THE “MADAGASCAR HISSING COCKROACH”
This is one of the largest (in size) species of cockroach living today. It can be up to 3 inches (7.5 cm) in length. It can live up to five years. This particular cockroach is native to Madagascar, where it lives in rotting logs or in rotting fruit. It dislikes being in direct sunlight. They can tolerate a wide range of temperature: from arctic to tropical. Males have horns on their head, and they are used for sparring. Some people have these insects as pets. Unlike most cockroaches, the “Madagascar hissing cockroach” are wingless and cannot fly. But, they are excellent climbers, even on vertical glass surfaces. They Some people keep them as pets. These insects definitely hiss (you can go online and find a recorded sound bite of their hiss--if you so desire to do so).
Classification
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Arthropoda
Clade (1 of them)
Class Insecta
Order Blattodea
Genus Gromphadorhina
Type Species G. portentosa
Ancestors of cockroaches (referred to as “roachoids”) apparently evolved about 320 million years ago during Carboniferous time. True modern cockroaches occurred about 140-120 million years ago, during Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous time.
Figure 1. A “hissing cockroach” from Madagascar.
Image via picryl.com [= public domain image].
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