Lemurs, Chameleons and Baobab Trees

The enigmatic ringtailed lemurs.

A sifaka.

A ruffed lemur.

A nocturnal sportive lemur.

Chameleons come in a variety of sizes from very small to as long as your arm.

A baobab in Botswana.

Another one in Ghana.

A bloom from the Ghana tree.

Two from Australia.

And my favourite, the majestic ones of the Baobab Alley.

On these two trips we were fortunate to see many varieties of lemurs, chameleons and baobab trees in the national parks.

There are 111 species of lemurs and we saw around 20 of them. Lemurs are primates. The mouse lemurs are the smallest primates in the world. There were lemurs that were as large and heavy as female gorillas but they became extinct probably because of human predation.

They are classified into many different groups, true lemurs, mouse lemurs, bamboo lemurs, sifaka and sportive. Plus there are nocturnal lemurs and diurnal lemurs. Plus scientists are still classifying them and doing DNA analysis. In recent years they have found new species and subspecies. But with deforestation and habitat reduction threatening extinction the race is on to discover them before they disappear.

Lemurs are generally omnivores, eating a variety of fruits, flowers and leaves (and sometimes nectar) as well as insects, spiders and small vertebrates.

Lemurs have opposable thumbs and long grasping toes, but their tails are not prehensile. In many the tail is very long, comparable to the size of their bodies. The Indri lacks a tail. Lemurs have nails rather than claws on their fingers and toes; these nails are flat with the exception of the stout, clawlike nail on the second toes of the feet. All lemur species have a tapetum, the reflective layer over the retina. The lower front teeth are directed forward and their pointed muzzle has a naked tip. Lemurs are thought to have limited colour vision. Lemurs depend quite heavily on the sense of smell and have large nasal cavities and moist noses.

Unlike most other primates, lemur species that live in groups have a matriarchal society (i.e. females are dominant over males). Most lemur species are primarily arboreal and traverse the canopy by vertical clinging and leaping or running around on all four legs, with the notable exception of the ring-tailed lemur which spends a considerable amount of time moving about on the ground. The sifaka lemurs walk or run on their hind legs and wave their front arms for balance. This has earned them the nickname 'dancing lemurs'.

There is one type of lemur that is quite different from the others, the aye aye. This one has very large eyes as it is strictly noctural and it has a large extended pointer finger which is uses to poke into trees or wood and pull out grubs.

There are roughly 90 species of chameleon. Nearly half of those species live in Madagascar, while the rest live in Africa south of the Sahara desert, and along the Mediterranean from Spain to Syria. They live mainly in forests. The chameleons in the genus "chamaeleo" live in trees and bushes, while other species of chameleons live on or very near the ground. Chameleons have fascinated people because of four very specialized and unique features: they can adjust their colour to their surroundings; they catch their prey by creeping up on them and unleashing their very long sticky tongues; they can pivot their eyes in different directions and they walk in a very distinctive manner by moving backwards and forwards imitating a leaf in a breeze, furthering their camouflage.

There are nine different species of baobab trees. All are classed under the name Andasonia. There are two varieties in Africa, one in Australia and six in Madagascar. I saw them in Ghana and Botswana, and in western Australia as well as here. I believe I have seen all nine species. They are truly majestic trees and the most spectacular ones are on the west coast of Madagascar in the baobab alley area. They live for hundreds and perhaps thousands of years. They used to grow widely over the island in forests but sadly many of them have been cut down and they only exist in pockets.

The one big disappointment was birds. Although Patrick's bird guide book shows that there are many very interesting species we saw very few. Not sure what that was but it makes you wonder if they are hunted and eaten.