6 December 2025

Madagascar in the Rain

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

A two-week long trip to Madagascar with herpetological enthusiasts meant that starting the trip during the start of the rainy season was the best option for the general interests of my group. Patrick, who needs no introduction here, organised the itinerary for us. Some advantages of Nov/Dec is that the hibernating mammals like tenrecs have emerged from hibernation, and many lemur mothers had neonates in tow!

IG: @patrick_madagascar_tourguide

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Madagascar Trip Report

Post author

Yirui Heng

I’m an hobbyist photographer that believes that the best places remaining on Earth are the ones where animals roam. I’m also a veterinarian that works with zoo and wildlife.

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6 Comments

6 December 2025

Chad Johnson

Fanaloc! Awesome! How was the herping?

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- 6 December 2025
  
  hengyirui
  
  Pretty good! We counted ~40 species of frogs (including 3 Mantella spp. which was a special target), ~15 species of snakes, and ~20 species of chameleons!
  
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  - 6 December 2025
    
    Chad Johnson
    
    That’s a good number of snakes. Patrick has tried to get me to take a rainy season trip for herping. I can’t say it’s not tempting!
    
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8 December 2025

Jacob Zinn

Hi, I believe the red-tailed sportive lemur (L. ruficaudatus) is found in Park le Za in the spiny forest and not Petter’s sportive lemur (L. petteri).

https://protectedareas.mg/landscape/show/7?geoShapeFilterField=location&location=43.4708659613717%2C-23.3131656142959%2C44.0836370113992%2C-23.3131656142959%2C44.0836370113992%2C-22.7451554642494%2C43.4708659613717%2C-22.7451554642494%2C43.4708659613717%2C-23.3131656142959&max=8&mediaFilter=no_of_images%2Cno_of_videos%2Cno_of_audio&offset=0&sort=created_on&view=stats

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- 8 December 2025
  
  hengyirui
  
  Thanks!
  
  There’s an image on the pdf, albeit not in the best resolution online, which seems to lack the distinctive red tail that I see on the other pictures. It is the clearest shot I have of the species seen though. What do you reckon?
  
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  - 8 December 2025
    
    Jacob Zinn
    
    There’s phenotypic variation in coat color among the Lepilemur species, but I think the red-tailed is at this site. I wish I could find a more definite source because these things change all the time, but protectedareas.mg is decent. This source has Petter’s south of the Onilahy River and red-tailed much further north, so it could be either. https://academic.oup.com/jhered/article-abstract/108/2/107/2631578
    
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