Madagascar

An island that drifted away long ago and evolved its own cast of creatures.

ClimateTropical and warm with distinct wet and dry seasons.

LandscapeStrange, beautiful forests found nowhere else on Earth.

Species recorded139

Written profiles4

Groups present7

Coordinates-19.0°, 46.5°

About Madagascar

Madagascar separated from other landmasses long enough ago that its wildlife assembled almost from scratch, from the small number of ancestors that managed to cross open ocean. The result is one of the highest rates of endemism anywhere — the overwhelming majority of its mammals, amphibians and reptiles live nowhere else, and whole families of animals are unique to it. Lemurs took over the roles primates fill elsewhere, and a single mongoose-like arrival gave rise to all of the island's native carnivores. The island packs in dramatically different habitats over short distances: rainforest along the eastern escarpment, dry deciduous forest in the west, and spiny thicket in the south. Deforestation has been severe and the remaining forest is highly fragmented.

Featured animals of Madagascar

All profiles →

4 species have a full written profile.

Daubentonia madagascariensis

Least concernInsectivore

Most-recorded wild species here

Photographed and identified by iNaturalist contributors in this region, ordered by number of records.

Malagasy White-eye

Zosterops maderaspatanus

Birds

Western Cattle-Egret

Ardea ibis

Birds

Western Nesomys

Nesomys lambertoni

Mammals

Delta reginum

Insects

Ring-tailed Vontsira

Galidia elegans

Mammals

Nile Crocodile

Crocodylus niloticus

Reptiles

Velvet Asity

Philepitta castanea

Birds

Pandanus Frog

Guibemantis pulcher

Amphibians

Deborrea malgassa

Insects

Tarachomantis analamazoatra

Insects

Great Egret

Ardea alba

Birds

Southern Redleg Orbweaver

Trichonephila inaurata madagascariensis

Arachnids

Vine Hawkmoth

Hippotion celerio

Insects

Thick Tail Gecko

Phelsuma mutabilis

Reptiles

Rufous-headed Ground-Roller

Atelornis crossleyi

Birds

Blue-billed Teal

Spatula hottentota

Birds

Arrhythmus rugosipennis

Insects

Dimorphic Egret

Egretta garzetta dimorpha

Birds

Full species checklist

A further 117 species recorded in Madagascar.

Common name	Scientific name	Group	Records
Yellow-billed Kite	Milvus migrans parasitus	Birds	184
Fulvous Whistling-Duck	Dendrocygna bicolor	Birds	184
Meller's Duck	Anas melleri	Birds	183
Zanzibar Day Gecko	Phelsuma dubia	Reptiles	182
Mesodiplatys mucronatus	Mesodiplatys mucronatus	Insects	181
Carpet Chameleon	Furcifer lateralis	Reptiles	180
Madagascar Fish-Eagle	Icthyophaga vociferoides	Birds	179
Madagascan emperor moth	Bunaea aslauga	Insects	177
Malagasy Princess	Eriboea cacuthis	Insects	175
Grey-headed Lovebird	Agapornis canus	Birds	174
Greater Vasa Parrot	Coracopsis vasa	Birds	173
Enicophlebia hilara	Enicophlebia hilara	Insects	171
Darwin's Sugar Ant	Camponotus darwinii	Insects	170
Antanambecoris pronotalis	Antanambecoris pronotalis	Insects	169
Black Heron	Egretta ardesiaca	Birds	168
Oustalet's Giant Chameleon	Furcifer oustaleti	Reptiles	166
Rainbow Milkweed Locust	Phymateus saxosus	Insects	165
Farquhar Half-toed Gecko	Hemidactylus mercatorius	Reptiles	163
Mount Petit Ibity Leaf-toed Gecko	Paroedura ibityensis	Reptiles	162
Chopardempusa neglecta	Chopardempusa neglecta	Insects	161
Silver Widow	Palpopleura vestita	Insects	160
Hippotion geryon	Hippotion geryon	Insects	159
Madagascar Mannikin	Lepidopygia nana	Birds	158
Ropalidia kojimai	Ropalidia kojimai	Insects	156
Madagascar Cone-head Mantid	Idolomorpha madagascariensis	Insects	155
Randrianasolo's Sportive Lemur	Lepilemur randrianasoloi	Mammals	154
Red-tailed Vanga	Calicalicus madagascariensis	Birds	153
Amegilla antimena	Amegilla antimena	Insects	152
Black-and-white Ruffed Lemur	Varecia variegata	Mammals	151
Red Brown Lemur	Eulemur rufus	Mammals	149
Red-fronted Brown Lemur	Eulemur rufifrons	Mammals	148
Madagascar Pond-Heron	Ardeola idae	Birds	147
Sambava Tomato Frog	Dyscophus guineti	Amphibians	146
Citrus Swallowtail	Papilio demodocus	Insects	145
Squacco Heron	Ardeola ralloides	Birds	144
Utetheisa elata	Utetheisa elata	Insects	143
Whitebar Acraea	Telchinia encedon	Insects	142
Zanna tenebrosa	Zanna tenebrosa	Insects	141
Malagasy Harrier	Circus macrosceles	Birds	140
Madagascan Fruit Bat	Eidolon dupreanum	Mammals	139
Striped Day Gecko	Phelsuma lineata	Reptiles	137
Acrosomoides acrosomoides	Acrosomoides acrosomoides	Arachnids	136
Small Indian Civet	Viverricula indica	Mammals	135
Common Hamerkop	Scopus umbretta umbretta	Birds	134
Lymantria castanea	Lymantria castanea	Insects	133
Golden Mantella	Mantella aurantiaca	Amphibians	132
Royal Blue Pansy	Junonia rhadama	Insects	131
African Stonechat	Saxicola torquatus	Birds	127
Pencil Snake	Mimophis mahfalensis	Reptiles	127
Red Fody	Foudia madagascariensis	Birds	124
Teruelius limbatus	Teruelius limbatus	Arachnids	122
Western Baillon's Crake	Zapornia pusilla intermedia	Birds	121
Phelsuma lineata elanthana	Phelsuma lineata elanthana	Reptiles	120
Mpanjaka maculata	Mpanjaka maculata	Insects	118
Cyana amatura	Cyana amatura	Insects	117
Red-billed Teal	Anas erythrorhyncha	Birds	115
Celidota sibling	Celidota sibling	Insects	114
Broad Scarlet	Crocothemis erythraea	Insects	113
Streaked Plusia	Vittaplusia vittata	Insects	108
Madagascar Hermit Spider	Nephilingis livida	Arachnids	107
Olive Bee-eater	Merops superciliosus	Birds	105
Malagasy Kestrel	Falco newtoni	Birds	104
Common Moorhen	Gallinula chloropus	Birds	103
Von der Decken's Sifaka	Propithecus deckenii	Mammals	103
Goliath Heron	Ardea goliath	Birds	101
Grey Smoky Blue	Euchrysops malathana	Insects	101
Giant Coua	Coua gigas	Birds	99
Black-crowned Night Heron	Nycticorax nycticorax	Birds	98
Furry-eared Dwarf Lemur	Cheirogaleus crossleyi	Mammals	98
Pea Blue	Lampides boeticus	Insects	96
Redleg Orbweaver	Trichonephila inaurata	Arachnids	94
Marbled Crayfish	Procambarus virginalis	Other animals	93
Perinet Chameleon	Calumma gastrotaenia	Reptiles	92
Long-billed Bernieria	Bernieria madagascariensis	Birds	91
Humblot's Heron	Ardea humbloti	Birds	90
Pinkwing Stick Insect	Sipyloidea chlorotica	Insects	88
American Cockroach	Periplaneta americana	Insects	82
Green Drab	Ophiusa tirhaca	Insects	81
Madagascar Black-eye	Leptomyrina phidias	Insects	81
Madagascar Cisticola	Cisticola cherina	Birds	79
Cuvier's Madagascar Swift	Oplurus cuvieri	Reptiles	78
Indian Walking Stick	Carausius morosus	Insects	77
Madagascan Mother-of-pearl	Protogoniomorpha duprei	Insects	74
White-faced Whistling-Duck	Dendrocygna viduata	Birds	72
African Grass Blue	Zizeeria knysna	Insects	69
Hamerkop	Scopus umbretta	Birds	65
Broad Skimmer	Orthetrum azureum	Insects	64
Western Girdled Lizard	Zonosaurus laticaudatus	Reptiles	63
Madagascar Magpie-Robin	Copsychus albospecularis	Birds	61
Blue Basker	Urothemis edwardsii	Insects	60
Archichlora subrubescens	Archichlora subrubescens	Insects	56
African Grass Blue	Zizeeria knysna knysna	Insects	54
Verreaux's Sifaka	Propithecus verreauxi	Mammals	51
Satanic Leaf-tailed Gecko	Uroplatus phantasticus	Reptiles	46
Globe-horned Chameleon	Calumma globifer	Reptiles	44
Tylas Vanga	Tylas eduardi	Birds	42
Gmelin's Woolly Lemur	Avahi laniger	Mammals	41
Plain Tiger Butterfly	Danaus chrysippus	Insects	40
Malagasy Brush-Warbler	Nesillas typica	Birds	39
Brown‐spotted Locust	Cyrtacanthacris tatarica	Insects	37
Madagascan Sunset Moth	Chrysiridia rhipheus	Insects	36
Procytettix hova	Procytettix hova	Insects	34
Hypolycaena philippus ramonza	Hypolycaena philippus ramonza	Insects	33
Euryomia argentea	Euryomia argentea	Insects	31
African Stick Mantis	Popa spurca	Insects	29
Ropalidia merina	Ropalidia merina	Insects	23
Bold Skimmer	Orthetrum stemmale	Insects	21
Madagascar Coucal	Centropus toulou	Birds	20
Madagascan Graphium	Graphium cyrnus	Insects	19
Souimanga Sunbird	Cinnyris sovimanga	Birds	17
Little Heron	Butorides atricapilla	Birds	16
Southern Banded Groundling	Brachythemis leucosticta	Insects	15
Common Myna	Acridotheres tristis	Birds	14
Malagasy Kingfisher	Corythornis vintsioides	Birds	14
Ornate Girdled Lizard	Zonosaurus ornatus	Reptiles	4
Ochre Spreadwing	Lestes ochraceus	Insects	3
Rubellia nigrosignata	Rubellia nigrosignata	Insects	2

Madagascar

About Madagascar

Featured animals of Madagascar

Most-recorded wild species here

Full species checklist

Groups found here

Mammals

Birds

Reptiles

Amphibians

Insects

Arachnids

Other animals