This photo was taken near the grounds of a hotel I was staying at in Maroantsetra, Madagascar. Panther chameleons (Furcifer paradalis) can grow to up to 17 inches in length. Their coloring varies depending on which region of Madagascar they live in. The females are primarily orange, although the colors of both sexes changes depending upon many factors.
Milne Edwards’ sportive lemurs live in the dry western forests of Madagascar. This one was photographed in a place called Ankarafantsika National Park. Sportive lemurs are nocturnal, but I got lucky when this guy popped its head out of its night time resting place just as I hiked by.
This lemur is called a diademed sifaka and it was photographed in central Madagascar near the town of Perinet. I was on an island in the middle of a large lake where lemurs rescued from poachers, injury and habitat loss roam freely. They are quite habituated to people and I was able to lay on my back and photograph this one with a wide angle lens as he hung just above me. There are several other species of lemur on the island, including red fronted brown lemurs, common brown lemurs, black and white ruffed lemurs and bamboo lemurs. This was the only diademed sifaka on the island but I saw and photographed a few more in the surrounding national park. With their deep red eyes and golden and black coats they really are one of the more interesting looking creatures in a country of interesting looking creatures.
I was staying in the town of Maroantsetra on the north east coast of Madagascar. This was merely a stopover point before taking a boat over to the Masoala Peninsula, but due to bad weather I was stranded in Maroantsetra for a couple of nights. Trying to make the best of a bad situation, I spent a day walking the grounds of the Rulais du Masoala hotel, and its nearby forests, looking for whatever wildlife I could find.
Unlike most tree frogs that are nocturnal, many of Madagascar’s 300 plus species, including the Madagascar reed frog, can be found during the day. When these frogs mature they turn a beautiful light blue and yellow, but as juveniles they are almost purely yellow, making the yellow pachypodium flower the perfect hiding place.