The trail climbed gently through a second-growth rainforest. Everything smelled damp even though it hadn’t rained for a while. The tree leaves were a light shade of green, with a hard texture that made them last. Lichens and mosses clung to branches. We’d come to Maromizaha Protected Area near Andasibe to see what might be new. Two indri families sang from across the valley, probably making sure the other knew their territory boundary. Their calls can travel several miles, and it was impossible to spot their location. This day was early in our first week in Madagascar, and we still had five more to explore this fabulous country.
Our guide stopped by a small sapling, looked at the trunk, then at us, then smiled. “Do you see it?” he said, with that wonderful twang in his voice. Moss and lichens covered the bark, lots of little leaves sticking in all directions. I scanned the trunk up and down a dozen times, not seeing anything that might be an animal. Finally, something caught my eye, and I leaned toward it. “Right, there, is a frog!” I said. It showed how well they are camouflaged.
My eyes darted one way and the other as I trudged behind our group up the trail. A movement to the left made me stop. A narrow passage through thick vegetation let me see a clump of bamboo and shrubs a hundred feet away. A brown animal moved along a vine. It had a stubby nose, characteristic of bamboo lemurs.
A Lemur
“Lemur,” I called.
“Where, where,” came from several.
As the guide announced, “Gray bamboo lemur,” I continued snapping photographs as the animal stepped in and out of sight through the dense underbrush. For a brief moment, it stood on its hind legs, its right arm raised above its head, holding a seed in its left hand and chewing on it.
“Where, exactly? “My friends chimed in unison. Describing the location proved challenging, as one had to be in the precise spot to see through the thicket. When I lowered my camera to explain better, the mammal had vanished from sight, possibly having retreated into the thicket.
This one appeared to be eating a seed, but up to 80% of their diet comes from young bamboo shoots and leaves. What is incredible is that bamboo contains harmful levels of cyanide. The plant produces these toxins to deter animals from feeding on it. Bamboo lemurs have developed mechanisms to counter the toxin. It is a fascinating evolutionary race: the plant trying to minimize grazing while the lemur attempts to keep up with anti-toxin strategies.
Chameleon
We continued up the trail until our guide spotted a small chameleon working across a twig. Its eyes rolled in their sockets. They can control each one separately, so it’s weird to see it happen. Madagascar is home to a wide diversity of chameleons. The country has over 97 species. This species may belong to the genus Calumma, specifically Calumma nasutum, or Madagascar’s pimple-nose chameleons (1). The group is complex, and this species might need to be split into a bunch of species. Taxonomists have nine species in it right now.
A pavilion at the top of the trail gave us a chance to look across the valley, and we listened to a few more indris call before we headed back down.
A portfolio from Madagascar can be found at www.thomasbancroft.com
1. Wikipedia. Calumma nasutum. 2025 27 December 2025]; Available from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calumma_nasutum.
What fun!