List of mammals of Madagascar explained

This is a list of the native wild mammal species recorded in Madagascar. As of June 2014 (following the IUCN reassessment of the lemurs) there are 241 extant mammal species recognized in Madagascar, of which 22 are critically endangered, 62 are endangered, 32 are vulnerable, 9 are near threatened, 72 are of least concern and 44 are either data deficient or not evaluated. All of the critically endangered species are lemurs.

The mammalian fauna of Madagascar is highly distinctive and largely endemic. The extant nonmarine, nonchiropteran taxa constitute (as of June 2014) 168 species, 40 genera and 9 families; of these, besides a probably introduced shrew, endemic taxa make up all the species, all the genera, and all but one of the families. This endemic terrestrial fauna, consisting of lemurs, tenrecs, nesomyine rodents and euplerid carnivorans, is thought to have colonized the island from Africa via four (or five, if aye-ayes arrived separately) rafting events. The other historic terrestrial or semiterrestrial mammal group, the extinct hippopotamuses, is thought to have colonized the island possibly several times, perhaps via swimming.

Earlier in the Holocene, Madagascar had a number of megafaunal mammals: giant lemurs such as Archaeoindris which at over 200 kg was comparable in mass to the largest gorillas, as well as the hippopotamuses. The island also hosted flightless elephant birds weighing up to 700 kg, the largest known birds of all time. All of these went extinct following the first appearance of humans about 2000 years ago.[1] [2] Today, the largest surviving native mammals of the island, such as the indri[3] and fossa,[4] have weights only approaching 10 kg. Most if not all of the 29 listed extinct species are believed to have died out in prehistoric times; none of these are known to have survived into the post-European contact period.

The following tags are used to highlight each species' conservation status as assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature; those on the left are used here, those in the second column in some other articles:

ExtinctNo reasonable doubt that the last individual has died.
Extinct in the wildKnown only to survive in captivity or as a naturalized population well outside its historic range.
Critically endangeredThe species is in imminent danger of extinction in the wild.
EndangeredThe species is facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild.
VulnerableThe species is facing a high risk of extinction in the wild.
Near threatenedThe species does not qualify as being at high risk of extinction but is likely to do so in the future.
Least concernThe species is not currently at risk of extinction in the wild.
Data deficientThere is inadequate information to assess the risk of extinction for this species.
Not evaluatedThe conservation status of the species has not been studied.

Order: Afrosoricida (tenrecs, otter shrews and golden moles)

The afrotherian order Afrosoricida contains the golden moles and otter shrews of sub-Saharan Africa and the tenrecs of Madagascar, families of small mammals that were traditionally part of the order Insectivora. All native tenrecs of Madagascar are believed to descend from a common ancestor that lived 29–37 million years (Ma) ago after rafting from Africa, with the split from their closest relatives, the otter shrews of equatorial Africa, dated to about 47–53 Ma ago.[5] [6] [7]

Afrosoricida also contains the enigmatic extinct genus Plesiorycteropus, represented by two extinct species of dog-sized, probably insectivorous mammals restricted to Madagascar. Morphological analyses have tended to place them within Afrotheria close to aardvarks (order Tubulidentata),[8] perhaps due to convergent specializations for digging. Analysis of preserved collagen sequences, however, places them in Afrosoricida closest to (and possibly within) tenrecs.[9] The two species differ in size and aspects of morphology.[10] They survived until as recently as 2150 BP.

Order: Sirenia (manatees and dugongs)

Sirenia is an order of fully aquatic, herbivorous mammals that inhabit rivers, estuaries, coastal marine waters, swamps, and marine wetlands. All four species are endangered. The dugong ranges widely along coastlines from east Africa to Australasia. It and the tenrecs are Madagascar's only extant afrotherians.

See main article: List of lemur species.

The order Primates contains all the species commonly related to the lemurs, monkeys, and apes, with the latter category including humans. It is divided into four main groupings: strepsirrhines, tarsiers, monkeys of the New World, and monkeys and apes of the Old World. Strepsirrhines make up all of Madagascar's native primates species, but comprise only a quarter of those of Africa, the rest being simians. Madagascar's strepsirrhines occupy both diurnal and nocturnal niches, while all those of Asia and mainland Africa are nocturnal[11] and nearly all simians are diurnal (the only exception being neotropical Aotus, which lives where strepsirrhines are absent).[12] Madagascar's 15 genera of extant nonhuman primates compares with 6 in Central America, 20 in South America, 23 in Africa and 19 in Asia. A number of lemur species larger than any now alive, ranging in size up to that of a gorilla, are believed to have become extinct shortly after the recent arrival of humans.

The endemic primates of Madagascar, the lemurs, constitute a single clade and are the largest branch of strepsirrhines. It has been proposed that a common ancestor of all Madagascar's lemurs rafted across the Mozambique Channel from Africa[13] [14] between 50 and 60 million years ago. However, findings of similarities in dentition between several African primate fossils and aye-ayes, the most basal of lemurs, have led to the alternate proposal that the ancestors of aye-ayes colonized Madagascar separately from other lemurs.[15]

Between 2000 and 2008, 39 new lemur species were described, bringing the total number of recognized species and subspecies to 99;[16] by 2014, the number of extant species and subspecies recognized had increased to 105. Of these, the IUCN classified 24 as critically endangered, 49 as endangered, 20 as vulnerable, three as near threatened, three as of least concern and four as data deficient; two were yet to be evaluated.

NE NE NE VU

Order: Rodentia (rodents)

Rodents make up the largest order of mammals, with over 40% of mammalian species. They have two incisors in the upper and lower jaw which grow continually and must be kept short by gnawing. Most rodents are small though the capybara can weigh up to 45kg (99lb). All the native nesomyid rodents of Madagascar are believed to descend from a common ancestor that rafted over from Africa 20–24 million years ago.[18] [19] There are about 39 nesomyid species in five subfamilies in Africa, compared to 27 in one subfamily extant in Madagascar. While nesomyids make up all of the native rodent species of Madagascar, they constitute less than 10% of those of Africa.

Order: Eulipotyphla (shrews, hedgehogs, moles, and solenodons)

Eulipotyphlans are insectivorous mammals. Shrews and solenodons closely resemble mice, hedgehogs carry spines, while moles are stout-bodied burrowers. There is one species of shrew on Madagascar, which is often considered to be conspecific with the widely distributed Etruscan shrew, Suncus etruscus, and likely to have been introduced to Madagascar from South or Southeast Asia by humans.[20]

Order: Chiroptera (bats)

See main article: List of bats of Madagascar. The bats' most distinguishing feature is that their forelimbs are developed as wings, making them the only mammals capable of flight. Bat species account for about 20% of all mammals. Of the 46 species, 22 genera and 8 families of bats present on Madagascar, 36 species but only Myzopoda and Myzopodidae are endemic (the family was formerly present, however, on the African mainland). Paratriaenops is endemic to Madagascar plus the Seychelles.

Order: Carnivora (carnivorans)

There are over 260 species of carnivorans, the majority of which feed primarily on meat. They have a characteristic skull shape and dentition. The native terrestrial carnivorans of Madagascar are all euplerids, which are believed to descend from a common ancestor that rafted over from Africa 19–26 million years ago.[19] Their closest relatives are the herpestids, the African and Eurasian mongooses. Malagasy mongooses are not "true" mongooses but rather are thought to represent an example of convergent or parallel evolution. About 30% of African terrestrial carnivoran species are herpestids.

NE

Order: Artiodactyla (even-toed ungulates and cetaceans)

The even-toed ungulates are ungulates whose weight is borne about equally by the third and fourth toes, rather than mostly or entirely by the third as in perissodactyls. There are about 220 noncetacean artiodactyl species, including many that are of great economic importance to humans. Madagascar's only native artiodactyls are the extinct Malagasy hippos, which are believed to have descended from ancestors that managed to cross the Mozambique Channel from Africa in the late Quaternary, perhaps by swimming.[19] Two or three hippo colonization events may have occurred. H. lemerlei is thought to be a dwarfed form of Africa's H. amphibius, while H. laloumena was larger. H. madagascariensis may be more closely related to the African pygmy hippopotamus, C. liberiensis (the generic assignment of both pygmy forms has been in flux). Skeletal features indicate that Malagasy hippos were better adapted for running than African hippos. H. lemerlei remains have been found in the rivers and lakes of western Madagascar, suggesting a semiaquatic lifestyle similar to that of H. amphibius, while many H. madagascariensis remains have found in Madagascar's forested highlands, indicating a more terrestrial lifestyle.

Order: Cetacea (whales, dolphins and porpoises)

See also: Whaling in Madagascar.

The infraorder Cetacea includes whales, dolphins and porpoises. They are the mammals most fully adapted to aquatic life with a spindle-shaped nearly hairless body, protected by a thick layer of blubber, and forelimbs and tail modified to provide propulsion underwater. Their closest extant relatives are the hippos, which are artiodactyls, from which cetaceans descended; cetaceans are thus also artiodactyls.

Malagasy mammal names

See main article: List of Malagasy mammal common names.

Extinct megafauna

See also

References

External links

Notes and References

  1. Burney, D.A.. Robinson, G.S.. Burney, L.P.. Sporormiella and the late Holocene extinctions in Madagascar. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 100. 19. 2003. 10800–10805. 10.1073/pnas.1534700100. 12960385. 196883. 2003PNAS..10010800B. free.
  2. Burney . D. A.. Burney . L. P.. Godfrey . L. R.. Jungers . W. L.. Goodman . S. M.. Wright . H. T.. Jull . A. J. T.. 10.1016/j.jhevol.2004.05.005 . A chronology for late prehistoric Madagascar . Journal of Human Evolution . 47 . 1–2 . 25–63 . July 2004. 15288523. 2004JHumE..47...25B.
  3. Mittermeier . R. A. . Ganzhorn . J. U. . Konstant . W. R. . Glander . K. . Tattersall . I. . Groves . C. P. . Rylands . A. B. . Hapke . A. . Ratsimbazafy . J. . Russell Mittermeier . Mayor. Ian Tattersall . M. I.. Colin Groves . Louis . E. E. . Rumpler . Y. . Schwitzer . C. . Rasoloarison . R. M.. Lemur Diversity in Madagascar . International Journal of Primatology . 29 . 6. 1607–1656 . 2008 . 10.1007/s10764-008-9317-y. 10161/6237. 17614597 .
  4. Book: Wilson . D. . Mittermeier . R. . Russell Mittermeier . Handbook of the Mammals of the World. Volume 1: Carnivores . 2009 . . 978-84-96553-49-1 . Goodman . S. . Family Eupleridae (Madagascar Carnivores) . 2019-02-24 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110725081653/http://www.lynxeds.com/hmw/species-accounts/hmw-1-species-accounts-red-panda-ailurus-fulgens . 2011-07-25 . dead .
  5. Douady. C. J.. Catzeflis. F.. Kao. D. J.. Springer. M. S.. Stanhope. M. J.. Molecular Evidence for the Monophyly of Tenrecidae (Mammalia) and the Timing of the Colonization of Madagascar by Malagasy Tenrecs. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 22. 3. 2002. 357–363. 10.1006/mpev.2001.1055. 11884160. 2002MolPE..22..357D .
  6. Poux. C.. Madsen. O.. Glos. J.. de Jong. W. W.. Vences. M.. Molecular phylogeny and divergence times of Malagasy tenrecs: Influence of data partitioning and taxon sampling on dating analyses. BMC Evolutionary Biology. 8. 1. 2008. 102. 10.1186/1471-2148-8-102. 18377639. 2330147. free. 2008BMCEE...8..102P.
  7. Everson. K. M.. Soarimalala. V.. Goodman. S. M.. Olson. L. E.. Multiple Loci and Complete Taxonomic Sampling Resolve the Phylogeny and Biogeographic History of Tenrecs (Mammalia: Tenrecidae) and Reveal Higher Speciation Rates in Madagascar's Humid Forests. Systematic Biology. 65. 5. 2016. 890–909. 10.1093/sysbio/syw034. 27103169. free.
  8. 10.2992/0145-9058(2004)36[63:EMSATO]2.0.CO;2. Eutherian Mammal Systematics and the Origins of South American Ungulates As Based on Postcranial Osteology. Bulletin of Carnegie Museum of Natural History. 36. 63–79. December 2004. Horovitz . I. S.. 86064468.
  9. 10.1371/journal.pone.0059614. 23555726. A Molecular Phylogeny of Plesiorycteropus Reassigns the Extinct Mammalian Order 'Bibymalagasia'. PLOS ONE. 8. 3. e59614. 2013. Buckley . M. . 3608660. 2013PLoSO...859614B. free.
  10. MacPhee . R. D. E. . Morphology, adaptations, and relationships of Plesiorycteropus, and a diagnosis of a new order of eutherian mammals . . 220 . 1–214 . 1994 . . 2246/828.
  11. Book: Nowak . R. M . Johns Hopkins University Press . Walker's Mammals of the World . 6th . Primates of the world: An introduction . Mittermeier . R. A. . Rylands . A. B. . Konstant . W. R. . 1999 . 4–6 . 978-0-8018-6251-9 . https://books.google.com/books?id=unODoWa7CM4C&pg=PA4 . registration .
  12. Cawthon Lang KA. 2005 July 18. Primate Factsheets: Owl monkey (Aotus) Taxonomy, Morphology, & Ecology. Accessed 2015 March 26.
  13. Development and application of a phylogenomic toolkit: Resolving the evolutionary history of Madagascar's lemurs . Genome Research . 18 . 489–99 . 2008 . Horvath, J. . https://web.archive.org/web/20080910043813/http://www.biology.duke.edu/wraylab/papers/Horvath%26al_2008.pdf . dead . 2008-09-10 . 2008-08-22 . 10.1101/gr.7265208 . 18245770 . 3 . 2259113 . etal .
  14. Book: Garbutt, N. . Mammals of Madagascar, A Complete Guide . A&C Black Publishers . 2007 . 978-0-300-12550-4 . 85–86.
  15. Gunnell. G.F.. Boyer. D.M.. Friscia. A.R.. Heritage. S.. Manthi. F.K.. Miller. E.R.. Sallam. H.M.. Simmons. N.B.. Stevens. N.J.. Seiffert. E.R.. Fossil lemurs from Egypt and Kenya suggest an African origin for Madagascar's aye-aye. Nature Communications. 9. 1. 2018. 3193. 10.1038/s41467-018-05648-w. 30131571. 6104046. 2018NatCo...9.3193G. free.
  16. Lemur Diversity in Madagascar. Mittermeier, R., Ganzhorn, J., Konstant, W., Glander, K., Tattersall, I., Groves, C., Rylands, A., Hapke, A., Ratsimbazafy, J., Mayor, M., Louis, E., Rumpler, Y., Schwitzer, C. & Rasoloarison, R.. International Journal of Primatology. 10.1007/s10764-008-9317-y. 1607–1656. 29. 6. December 2008. 10161/6237. 17614597. free.
  17. Godfrey, L. . 2021 . Palaeopropithecus ingens . e.T136532A17971784 . 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-2.RLTS.T136532A17971784.en.
  18. Web site: Kinver . M. . Mammals 'floated to Madagascar' . BBC News web site . . 2010-01-20 . 2010-01-20.
  19. Ali . J. R. . Huber, M. . Mammalian biodiversity on Madagascar controlled by ocean currents . . 463 . 4 Feb. 2010 . 653–656 . 2010-01-20 . 10.1038/nature08706 . 20090678 . 2010Natur.463..653A. 4333977 .
  20. Omar, H.; Adamson, E.A.S.; Bhauur, S.; Goodman, S.M.; Soarimalala, V.; Hashim, R.; Ruedi, M. (2011). Phylogenetic relationships of Malayan and Malagasy pygmy shrews of the genus Suncus (Soricomorpha: Soricidae) inferred from mitochondrial cytochrome b gene sequences. The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 59(2): 237-243.
  21. Goodman. S. M.. Schoeman. M. C.. Rakotoarivelo. A.. Willows-Munro. S.. How many species of Hipposideros have occurred on Madagascar since the Late Pleistocene?. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 177. 2. 2016. 428–449. 10.1111/zoj.12368. free.
  22. Hoffmann, M. . Hawkins, F. . 2015 . Cryptoprocta spelea . e.T136456A45221489 . 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T136456A45221489.en.
  23. 10.1515/mamm.2010.018. Species limits and distribution of the Malagasy carnivoran genus Eupleres (Family Eupleridae). Mammalia. 74. 2. 177–185. 2010-02-25. Goodman . S. M. . Helgen . K. M. . 62833979.
  24. Cerchio S.. Andrianantenaina B.. Lindsay A.. Rekdahl M.. Andrianarivelo N.. Rasoloarijao T.. 2015. Omura's whales (Balaenoptera omurai) off northwest Madagascar: ecology, behaviour and conservation needs. Royal Society Open Science. 2. 10. 150301. 2015RSOS....240301C. 10.1098/rsos.150301. 26587244. 4632516.
  25. Sea Alarm Foundation. 2010 Madagascar - Country Wildlife Response Profiles - A Summary of oiled wildlife response arrangements and resources worldwide. Retrieved on 13 June 2014

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "List of mammals of Madagascar".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.