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Important seed distributors
Important seed distributors
The Ring-tailed lemur fills a vital ecological niche in its Madagascar home! They are critical to seed dispersing for the fruit-bearing plant species they consume. Ring-tailed lemurs will roam about their home range of about 1000 meters from where they woke up that morning, eating fruit and defecating the seeds along the way. This serves as an important method of seed dispersal for the plants and contributes to the plant growth of their ecosystem.
The ring-tailed lemur is also an integral part of the Madagascar food web. Wherever ring-tailed lemurs are found the tamarind tree can be found. The tamarind tree is considered a keystone species resource for lemurs and provides up to 50% of the lemur's diet. It's a large tree the grows 20-25 meters and provides fruit and leaves at alternating times of the year. This creates a reliable source of food, especially during the dry season when other sources are limited.
Ring-tailed lemurs are also a food source for the fossa. The fossa is an apex predator that is also native to the island of Madagascar. It spends its time both in the trees and on the ground hunting anything it can catch. However, its prey of choice consists of the many species of lemurs living there. They are a relative of the mongoose, although they appear more like a large cat. They can grow up to 6-feet long with slender bodies weighing up to 26 pounds. They hunt the lemurs with retractable claws like a feline. Fossas are listed as vulnerable on the IUCN red list, so by working to increase the numbers of lemurs we would also be helping other species that rely on them.
The Madagascar harrier-hawk is another species that is endemic to Madagascar, meaning it can only be found there. This raptor is a large bird of prey with a unique and unusual adaptation to help them in their pursuit of prey. They have an intertarsal joint that allows them to flex their legs backward, as well as forward, aiding them in pulling prey from holes, crevices, and other hard to reach places. Their diet consists of a large variety of small animals, and lemurs are on the menu! This is just another example of the important position lemurs fill in their ecosystem.
Madagascar is teeming with life at all levels of the environment where Ring-Tailed Lemurs call home. The following 10 species are just a mere sample of those that call this area home. From the tiny newly discovered species of amoeba to the largest carnivore, and spiders weaving webs of incredible strength; Madagascar is an exciting ecosystem whose biodiversity is critical to protect.
No listed common name
Newly discovered species of amoeba. They are a social amoeba found in rich numbers in tropical terrestrial soil.
Concern level not listed as it is a new species- but was reported to be found in rich numbers.
Super Kingdom: Eukaryota
Phylum: Evosea
Class: Eumycetozoa
Order: Acytosteliales
Family: Cavenderiaceae
Genus: Cavenderia
Species: basinodulosa
Madagascar Ocotillo
Deciduous succulent plant that, when mature, it is a vertical tower of stems with oval to round leaves that are around 2” in length.
Least Concern on IUCN Red List.
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Didiereaceae
Genus: Alluaudia
Species: procera
Tamarind Tree
Tropical evergreen tree best known for its appetizing fruit.
Least Concern on IUCN Red List.
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Genus: Tamarindus
Species: indica
Giraffe-necked Weevil
Beetle endemic to Madagascar and gets its name from its long neck. The extended neck is an adaptation that assists in nest building
Near Threatened on IUCN Red List.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Attelabidae
Genus: Trachelophorus
Species: giraffa
Darwin's Bark Spider
An orb-weaver spider that produces one of the largest known orb webs, with anchor lines spanning up to 82 ft. Its silk is the toughest biological material ever studied, over ten times stronger than a similarly-sized piece of Kevlar
Species not evaluated IUCN Red List so numbers unknown.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Family: Araneidae
Genus: Caerostris
Species: darwini
Dumeril's Boa
One of 3 Boa species found in Madagascar. They grow up to 2.6 meters in length. As with many snakes, they are often feared and killed on sight by humans.
Least Concern on IUCN Red List.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Boidae
Genus: Acrantophis
Species: dumerili
Madagascar Harrier-Hawk
A large bird of prey found in Madagascar. Among the many creatures in their diet, small lemurs are one of them.
Least Concern on IUCN Red List.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Accipitriformes
Family: Accipitridae
Genus: Polyboroides
Species: radiatus
Madagascar Sparrowhawk
A rarely seen and elusive medium sized sparrowhawk. This hawk does not like to sit out in the open.
Near Threatened on IUCN Red List.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Accipitriformes
Family: Accipitridae
Genus: Accipiter
Species: madagascariensis
Brown Lemur
Primarily found in Madagascar, this species can be found in groups of 3-12 individuals. They consume more than 100 species of plants foods, though 15 comprise the bulk of the diet.
Vulnerable on IUCN Red List.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Family: Lemuridae
Genus: Eulemur
Species: fulvus
Fossa
Fossa is the largest carnivore in Madagascar. Their diet consists of lemurs and most any other creature it can get its claws on.
Vulnerable on IUCN Red List.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Eupleridae
Genus: Cryptoprocta
Species: ferox
RESOURCES:
Madagascar Ocotillo at the Cactus & Succulent Garden. Friends of the Port St Lucie Botanical Gardens. (n.d.). Retrieved May 29, 2022, from https://www.pslbg.org/madagascar-ocotillo.html
Perrigo AL;Vadell EM;Cavender JC;Landolt JC;Liu P;Stephenson SL; (n.d.). Additional new species suggest high dictyostelid diversity on Madagascar. Mycologia. Retrieved May 29, 2022, from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33006910/
Tamarindus indica. Tamarindus Indica - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics. (n.d.). Retrieved May 29, 2022, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/tamarindus-indica
KEYWORDS: Ecological niche, Keystone species, Apex predator, Endemic, Biodiversity, Cavenderia basinodulosa, Alluaudia procera, Tamarindus indica, Trachelophorus giraffa, Caerostris darwini, Acrantophis dumerili, Polyboroides radiatus, Accipiter madagascariensis, Eulemur fulvus, Cryptoprocta ferox
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