|
The accomodations consist of simple open bungalows with mosquito nets and electricity but camping is also possible. Kirindy is a one-day stop for most visitors -- actually many visitors only stop here for a night hike on their way to somewhere else. Having four days here gives me more time to explore some of the outer reaches of the reserve but I'd recommend a shorter stay for most people. This time of year (the cool dry season) much of the wildlife (especially repitles and amphibians) are hibernating. The forest is also very dry whereas during the rainy season much of the area of flooded and bright green leaves cover most of the plants. Kirindy is not accessible from mid-January to late March due to the rain. journal Province: Toliary (Tuléar) Area: 10,000 Protected area status: Private reseve Year established: General location: Western Location and Access: About an hour from Morondava Climate: Western deciduous forest Average temperature: 14-33°C* Elevation: Precipitation: Description: Kirindy is a place of extreme seasonal changes. A short, hot rainy season between December and February (where temperatures may top 40 C) is followed by nine months with little rain and cool temperatures. During this dry season, Kirindy's forest is brown, many trees are virtually leafless, and much of Kirindy's wildlife is in hibernation. Every rainy season, Kirindy explodes in verdant green vegetation and its many species of reptiles and amphibians become active. FAUNA Birds: Reptiles: 50 Chameleons: 7 Snakes: 11 Frogs: 15 Mammals: 31 Lemurs: 8 Rodents: 5 Insectivores: 7 Bats: 7 Carnivores: 3 Lemur species: FLORA: Species: Dominant ethnic group(s): Sakalava Additional notes: See journal Photos of Kirindy from Piotr Lukasik and other participants in the 2004 Tropical Biology Association Field Course. Giant Jumping Rat MAP/Satellite Picture KIRINDY PHOTOS Pictures on this site were taken with a Konica Minolta
|
WILDMADAGASCAR.ORG WildMadagascar.org aims to raise interest in Madagascar, a land of cultural and biological richness
SUPPORT You can help support wildmadagascar.org by using this link to buy from Amazon.com.
RECENT NEWS Five percent of ploughshare tortoise population perishes after botched smuggling attempt (05/14/2013) In March, two people were caught attempting to smuggle 54 ploughshare tortoises (Astrochelys yniphora) into Thailand. Listed as Critically Endangered, the tortoises' wild population is down to approximately 400-500 animals in its native Madagascar, meaning the smugglers were attempting to move over 10 percent of the total population. Now, the Scientific American blog Extinction Countdown reports that nearly half of the smuggled tortoises have died of unknown causes. Aquarium launches desperate search to save a species down to 3 individuals (05/10/2013) Aquarists at ZSL London Zoo have launched a worldwide appeal to find a female mate for a fish species that is believed to have gone extinct in the wild. Lemur has unexpectedly wide range, diversity of color variations (05/05/2013) An endangered lemur has a larger range than originally believed but is still at risk due to forest fragmentation and land clearing, reports a study published in the journal Primate Conservation. Acting Madagascar president breaks pledge not to stand in election (05/04/2013) President Andry Rajoelina broke his pledge not to run in Madagascar's upcoming presidential election, once again throwing the political stability of the island nation into question. Hibernating primates: scientists discover three lemur species sleep like bears (05/02/2013) Bears do it, bats do it, and now we know lemurs do it too: hibernate, that is. Since 2005, scientists have known that the western fat-tailed dwarf lemur hibernates, but a new study in Scientific Reports finds that hibernation is more widespread among lemurs than expected. At least two additional lemur species—Crossley's dwarf lemur and Sibree's dwarf lemur—have been discovered hibernating. So far lemurs, which are only found on the island of Madagascar, are the only primates known to undergo hibernation, raising curious questions about the relationship between lemur hibernation and more well-known deep sleepers. World's rarest duck on the rebound in Madagascar (05/01/2013) After a final sighting in 1991, the Madagascar pochard was thought to have vanished for good. But this diving duck was rediscovered in 2006 when a flock of 22 individuals was found on Lake Matsaborimena in northern Madagascar by conservationists during an expedition. Soon after Madagascar pochard eggs were taken and incubated in a joint captive breeding program by Durrell, the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT), the Peregrine Fund, Asity Madagascar, and Madagascar government, which recently announced that the population—both captive and wild—has nearly quadrupled. Madagascar swamped by locust invasion (04/17/2013) More than 60 percent of Madagascar is suffering from a massive locust infestation that is threatening crops and livestock, potentially increasing risks to native wildlife and forests from hungry farmers, warns the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Featured video: in-depth look at Madagascar's Ranomafauna National Park (04/03/2013) A new film Nosy Maitso takes a look at the people, researchers, and wildlife connected to Madagascar's Ranomafauna National Park. Apart of a World Heritage Site, the park was established in 1991 after a new species of lemur, the golden bamboo lemur (Hapalemur aureus), was discovered in its forests in the 1980s. The golden bamboo lemur is currently listed as Endangered by the IUCN Red List. Scientists discover new wasp species in a field box from the 1930s (photos) (04/03/2013) Searching through materials at the Natural History Museum in Paris, Simon van Noort recently came across a long-neglected field box of wasp specimens. Collected 80 years earlier by André Seyrig in Madagascar, the box contained several specimens of wasp in the Paramblynotus genus. The big surprise: wasps in this genus had never before been seen in Madagascar. Madagascar's chameleons came from African mainland (03/29/2013) Madagascar's color-changing chameleons originated in Africa and crossed over to the island some 65 million years ago, concludes a study published this week in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B. More news GEAR 
|
|
home | photos index | search | about | contact Unless otherwise noted, all content and images are the property of Rhett Butler, content copyright 2004-2008. All rights reserved. |
