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Near the entrance of Ranomafana is Centre Valbio, a facility run by Dr. Patricia Wright that is now Madagascar's leading field research center. An interview with Dr. Wright is available at An interview with lemur expert Dr. Patricia Wright. Ranomafana features a range of accomodations from basic to relatively deluxe. Internet access is usually available. Province: Fianarantsoa Area: 43,549 Protected area status: National park Year established: 1991 General location: Eastern Madagascar Location and Access: 60 km north of Fianarantsoa, 400 km south of Antananarivo Climate: Montane rainforest Average temperature: 14-20°C Elevation: 400-1417 m Precipitation: 230-400 cm Description: FAUNA Birds: 115 Reptiles: 62 Lizards: 10 Chameleons: 12 Snakes: 14 Frogs: 98 Butterflies: 90 Mammals: 43 Lemurs: 12 Rodents: 6 Insectivores: 11 Bats: 8 Carnivores: 6 Fish: 6 Spiders: 350 Crustaceans (Crayfish): 6 Lemur species: FLORA: Ranomafana is mostly mountainous and consists of low altitude rainforests (much of this is degraded or deforestated), mid-altitude forests, and montane rainforests. Species: Dominant ethnic group(s): Tanala, Betsileo Official web page Additional notes: While long, the drive from Tana to Ranomafana is spectacular, especially as you approach Ranomafana. MAP/Satellite Picture PHOTOS Pictures on this site were taken with a Konica Minolta
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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 AndrĂ© 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 
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