EXO TERRA Expedition Madagascar 2006

The Bamboo Expedition Journal EXO TERRA Expedition Madagascar 2006 Journal

All members of the Exo Terra Expedition Madagascar 2006 Our Malagasy team members and logistic support people picked returned home safely after three weeks of intense field research in us up at Fascene Airport, where we overloaded two small taxis to the jungles and bamboo forests of North Western Madagascar. bring us to Ambatoloaka. Ambatoloaka is a small resort, located on the south-western coast of the island. When you arrive in After the discovery of a new species of day gecko (Phelsuma Ambatoloaka, with the knowledge that it is Madagascar’s biggest vanheygeni) by Exo Terra Manager Emmanuel Van Heygen in tourist centre, you realize that Madagascar still has a long way 2004 during the Exo Terra Expedition Madagascar 2004, many to go to before it will make it into the mainstream travel questions were left unanswered regarding the distribution range, brochures. behaviour and ecology of this remarkable discovery. In order to find answers to these questions the Exo Terra team returned to We checked in into our hotel for our last night of luxury. Most the area in June 2006. people would already consider staying in this hotel adventurous. It did not take long before we spotted our first day gecko, living on the ceiling of one of the rooms. The hotel is located right Itinerary on the beach, where many locals changed profession when the Day 01 – June 6th : Brussels – Paris – Reunion first tourists started to arrive. Before, Ambatoloaka was a typical Day 02 – June 7th : Reunion – Nosy Bé (Madagascar) Malagasy fishing village. The many boats passing by prove that Day 03 – June 8th : Ambatoloaka fishing is still the main source of income for many islanders. Day 04 – June 9th : Nosy Komba - Ankify Many try to sell their catch to local restaurants or trade for other Day 05 – June 10th : Ankify – Ampopo necessities. Day 06 – June 11th : Ampopo – Bezavona Day 07 – June 12th : Bezavona We already bought some fruits and vegetables from local women, Day 08 – June 13th : Bezavona who offered their produce out of fully loaded baskets on top of Day 09 – June 14th : Bezavona their heads. Our local team would provide the rest of our supplies. Day 10 – June 15th : Bezavona – Nosy Iranja – Russian Bay Later that night we met with Monsieur Nazer, the chief of our Day 11 – June 16th : Russian Bay – Ambaliha local logistics team. He is very respected and set us up with his Day 12 – June 17th : Ambaliha boat and a 60 horse power engine. We explained our plans and Day 13 – June 18th : Ambaliha – Djangoa calculated how much fuel we should carry with us. Day 14 – June 19th : Djangoa Day 15 – June 20th : Djangoa – Ambatoloaka Tired from a long trip we were happy that the sun set around six Day 16 – June 21st : Ambatoloaka – Mayotte (Comoro Islands) at night, and not much later than that we all went to bed. The Day 17 – June 22nd : Mayotte next morning after rising early, we loaded the boat and sailed to Day 18 – June 23rd : Mayotte our first destination, Nosy Komba. Day 19 – June 24th : Mayotte – Lokobe (Nosy Bé) Day 20 – June 25th : Lokobe – Reunion Day 21 – June 26th : Reunion – Paris - Brussels Nosy Komba

Ambatoloaka

We arrived at this idyllic island around noon. Nosy Komba is Malagasy for Lemur Island, but this time we did not see any. We On June 6, 2006 the Exo Terra Expedition team members met in started our search for reptiles and amphibians right on the same Brussels Belgium to start the first leg of the Exo Terra Expedition beach where we landed, across from our next destination, Ankify. 2006 to Madagascar. We first flew to Réunion Island where we It did not take long before we spotted our first skinks, mainly had a connection the next day to Madagascar’s biggest offshore Mabuya species, on some rocky outcrops on the beach. After island Nosy Bé. photographing a very nice colored caterpillar, we found our first day geckos; a juvenile Phelsuma dubia, Phelsuma laticauda and Phelsuma madagascariensis grandis.  EXO TERRA Expedition Madagascar 2006 Journal

A short search in a nearby bamboo patch, where we hoped When exploring the nearby forest we encountered the largest to find Phelsuma seippi and Phelsuma klemmeri did not reveal chameleon of Madagascar, Furcifer oustaleti. The body of this anything. We found Phelsuma seippi on the island in 2004, but animal had the size of my underarm. never Phelsuma klemmeri. The peninsula has also its own colour morph of panther On our way back to the boat, we spotted a panther chameleon, chameleon, Furcifer pardalis. Several males were found in a small Furcifer pardalis. These panther chameleons are slightly different area, but no females where sighted. in coloration from those on Nosy Be and entirely different from those found elsewhere on Madagascar. We then sailed to Ankify, To make it before dark we had to leave Ankify for Ampopo, which a trip of only 30 minutes. is located onthe western side of the Ampasindava Peninsula. When we approached the shoreline where our boat was waiting, Ankify a group of dolphins passed very close to us, clearly hunting. In Ampopo we would just spend the night and then continue to Bezavona. It was a long trip of nearly 50 km and we had to refuel at sea from our fuel reserve.

Ampopo

The Ankify Peninsula is situated in the Sambirano Delta and probably the terra typica of the day gecko Phelsuma klemmeri. Upon arrival we immediately organized a vehicle to bring us as close as possible to the bamboo forests in the peninsula’s interior. This would be the last car we would see for a while. In late afternoon we arrived near the small village of Ampopo, The first day gecko we discovered was Phelsuma seippi who situated on a normally shares its habitat with Phelsuma klemmeri. It did not several kilometer-long stretch of pristine beach with the lowland take us long before we found our first Phelsuma klemmeri this forests immediately behind it. We set up camp right on the beach trip, without doubt the most striking coloured gecko! Another to better enjoy the cooler sea breezes and made a huge campfire species of day gecko present in these bamboo forests is Phelsuma to keep the mosquitoes and bush pigs away from our campsite. laticauda. That night we discussed the strategy for the upcoming days, and afterwards some team members ventured into the nearby forest Madagascar has no real poisonous snakes, the only exception is without much success. the Malagasy hognose snake, Leioheterodon madagascariensis. While measuring one of these large snakes, team member Achim The next morning, even before sunrise, we immediately prepared called for help, since he spotted another Phelsuma klemmeri for our boat trip to Bezavona, in the southern part of the nearby. We had to temporary put the snake in a backpack. Ampasindava Peninsula. The morning sunshine revealed the true beauty of this desolate spot, which made it all that much harder We caught several Phelsuma klemmeri for measuring and to pack the gear and leave. Out of the blue, a Malagasy hognose collecting of other data.Catching these little geckos that fit in the snake, Leioheterodon madagascariensis crawled through our tiniest bamboo crack is not an easy task. You need more than one campsite towards the nearby forest, where it disappeared as pair of eyes in order to finally capture them. It was remarkable swiftly as it came. While following the snake we found our first how many species of one genus occurred in this area. Next to the Panther Chameleon, Chameleo pardalis. giant Phelsuma madagascariensis grandis, we hoped to also find one of the smallest species, Phelsuma vanheygeni. This species This discovery exceeded everyone’s expectations as this was the was discovered by Exo Terra manager Emmanuel Van Heygen much talked about Pink Panther, a colour morph thought to be during the 2004 Madagascar Expedition. found only near Ankaramy, south of Ambanja. It was a young male

 EXO TERRA Expedition Madagascar 2006 Journal that did not yet have the splendid pinkish-red adult colouration. found exactly underneath an insect while two ants were trying With this discovery we extended the known distribution range of to approach to feast as well on the probably sweet excretion this race of panther chameleon considerably, as it now sure that from the insect, but had to wait for the Phelsuma klemmeri to it inhabits the entire Ampasindava Peninsula. leave. In addition to day geckos of the genus Phelsuma we also encountered several unknown Lygodactylus species. At the edge of the forest and the beach several endemic orchids of the genus Angreacum were blooming. It was a very interesting Phelsuma seippi was definitely the most abundant of all the geckos spot that we sadly had to leave to make it in time to Bezavona. inhabiting the bamboo forest. Also the Phelsuma vanheygeni seems to be very common in this area but is a bit more difficult to Bezavona spot since it lives more between the bamboo leaves and thinner branches. One bamboo is usually the territory of a pair. During the day they move through the denser upper part of the bamboo and venture only seldom onto the thicker stem. They probably sleep in the dense leaves during the night.

We also scanned the forests near the campsite for chameleons. The first one we encountered was a massive Furcifer oustaleti. It is abundant and widespread in Madagascar and inhabits both warm and humid coastal lowlands but seems to prefer drier forests. This large chameleon commonly reaches a total length of 60 cm but even larger males have been reported. Coloration is primarily of grays and browns but also completely green animals were found. Females tend to be slightly more colourful than males, as well as somewhat slimmer and slightly smaller.

Another abundant species in the area is Furcifer pardalis. Females are hard to classify as to a specific colour morph, while in males this variance of coloration is more noticeable. Probably it is a “Pink It took us about three hours to reach the entrance of the Bezavona Panther” colour morph, since Ankaramy is only about 20 km River in the southern part of the Ampasindava Peninsula. After we east of Bezavona. Adult males, in addition to being significantly, found the right river mouth, we went as far as possible up river, larger have a more defined casque. through dense mangrove forests, until there was not enough water to support our boat. A know predator of smaller lizards and amphibians is the snake, Ithycyphus miniatus which we found in a bamboo patch eating a The villagers, who were curious what these “Vaza” (Malagasy for frog right before our eyes (and camera). white people), were up to came to greet us. One of our Malagasy team mates told us that the last time they saw “Vaza” was about We could smell the scent of delicious food while heading back twenty-five years ago, when the last of the French abandoned to our camp. Nazir was already preparing a great dinner, He was the last vanilla plantation in the area. Thus, most villagers under able to get some potatoes in the village and was making French 25 had never seen a white person. fries. The ever present and curious villagers watched their version of “Emeril Live!” The “Chef de Village” or village chief joined us After we erected our tents we discussed our plans for the next for dinner that afternoon and listened in on how we prepared couple of days, since we planned to stay in this area for several for the next day. days. The next morning we set up pitfall traps for smaller ground dwelling reptiles and amphibians in a nearby forest. The only After sunset we looked again for everything that crept, leaped animal we would catch in these was a small type of frog. and crawled. The first creature to catch our attention was a colossal spider waiting for an insect to make a mistake while the Immediately upon entering the bamboo forests surrounding greater hedgehog tenrec, Setifer setosus, common over much our camp, we found Phelsuma vanheygeni. This species was of Madagascar was looking for fruits and insects on the forest discovered during our previous Exo Terra expedition in 2004 and floor. was named after Exo Terra Manager Emmanuel Van Heygen. The gecko was sitting about 1 cm underneath a cicada-like insect, as In the trees several geckos of the genus Geckolepis, or fish scaled if it was waiting for it to move. geckos, were spotted. These are easily recognizable by their large scales, which are fixed only superficially. These geckos are active A little further we also discovered a Phelsuma seippi with the during the night and spend the day under the bark of trees in same behaviour, positioned right under another type of insect. primary or secondary forests. The next bamboo pole also had a Phelsuma seippi on it, again with an insect right above it. It was clear that the geckos were The endemic genus of Uroplatus is also nocturnal but relies on its not stalking the insects in order to eat them, but were waiting camouflage and spends the day head downward on small trees. for them to excrete something. Even Phelsuma klemmeri was At night they hunt for insects and sometimes jump more than a meter from tree to tree.  EXO TERRA Expedition Madagascar 2006 Journal

We prepared now to head back to the river where our boat was We now set course to Ambaliha, one of the major villages on waiting. Hopefully it was already high tide since we had a long the Eastern side of the Ampasindava Peninsula. After traveling journey through the mangroves ahead of us. Some villagers who several kilometres upstream we had to leave the boat behind. came to the riverbank to say goodbye accompanied us. Unfortunately it was low tide and we had to walk the last couple Luckily there was already sufficient water to take us too the of kilometres. Like last visit in 2004 we chose the only store in open sea. The high tide covered many sandbanks and mangrove the village as our base, and we were able to leave behind some scrub so we relied on local fishermen to guide us through this unnecessary gear as well as the outboard engines behind. underwater labyrinth. Ambaliha is a typical Malagasy village with extremely friendly We first headed for Nosy Iranja, a small island off the coast of the people that are ever curious and inquisitive. We showed one of Ampasindava Peninsula. Nosy Iranja is made up of two islands the children in the village pictures on my iPod of her father that conjoined by a bank of white sand, which is submerged at high we took in 2004 when he went into the forest with us. Needless tide. We were able to pick up the supplies, mainly fuel and water, to say the entire village was amazed to see some of the villagers that were brought here from our base at Nosy Be. on this little iPod-screen.

On the island we spotted a Madagascar Coucal, Centropus After a brief stop at the “Chef the Village’s” office to ask toulou, which we also observed in several bamboo forests on the permission to go into the mountains, we were finally able to start peninsula It was eating a Phelsuma laticauda, which confirmed our ascent. The views were spectacular; in the distance you can our suspicion that this bird is a major Phelsuma predator. We see Ankify, Nosy Komba and even the Lokobe Strict Reserve on left Nosy Iranja for Russian Bay at the Northern part of the the island of Nosy Bé. Ampasindava Peninsula to spend the night. After a strenuous climb, it was already dark when we arrived at Ambaliha the top of the mountain and were able to erect our camp. Some of the guys carrying part of our equipment went down again to bring up the next load. We were full admiration that they did this exhausting trip twice, carrying the heavy bags, generator and cases, and barefoot.

The next morning we were all well rested and prepared for the next journey downhill on the other side of the mountain into the bamboo forest. A small source nearby provided us with fresh drinking water. Our clothes need a wash too after several days in the jungle, Nazir took care of this while we explored the environment. On the way down we met many people, all carrying something. This was a major trading path, where people from the inland region traded wood and rice for fish with the villagers from the coastal area.

High in these mountains most of the forest is still intact and wildlife is still abundant. We found many animals in a short span of time, such as plated lizards, snakes and even leaf-tailed geckos. The bay’s name dates back to an incident in 1905, during the The Madagascar plated lizard, Zonosaurus madagascariensis, is Russo-Japanese war. A Russian warship anchored here with very common on the peninsula. Dromicodryas bernieri is a mainly orders to attack any passing Japanese ships, but the crew tasted terrestrial and diurnal snake with a round pupil. Madagascarophis the sweet life in Madagascar. The crew had barely raised a colubrius on the contrary is a nocturnal species with a clearly mutiny before their officers gave in, have taken a look at the vertical pupil. This species of the genus Madagascarophis are lovely Malagasy women. The ship was hidden in what is now among the most common Malagasy snakes. They are mostly called Russian Bay and only emerged to trade with pirate vessels terrestrial but can often be found climbing. Frogs, skinks, geckos, in the Mozambique Channel. The Russians sold anything they chameleons and also snakes and birds are among the prey could remove from the ship and the last Russian died in 1936. items. The remains of the wreck can still be seen at low tide. Uroplatus henkeli is actually widespread, although they generally Just before leaving this Garden of Eden we spotted a juvenile have fragmented ranges. Uroplatus species or Leaf-tailed Geckos Madagascar Iguana, Oplurus cuvieri, basking on a palm trunk. are very distinctive lizards and endemic to Madagascar. They are This disjointed distribution of iguanas is a bio-geographic mystery. nocturnal and found in a range of forest habitats. All species The whole family consists of 650 species, of which 99% occurs are undoubtedly affected by ongoing forest loss in Madagascar. in the Americas, with only very few species occuring elsewhere in Whilst some species can apparently tolerate some degree of Fiji, Tonga and Madagascar.

 EXO TERRA Expedition Madagascar 2006 Journal habitat degradation, they are reportedly generally found in When we arrived at the Djangoa River, the water was already secondary habitats in low densities only. withdrawing rapidly, making it difficult to go upstream. Finally we found ourselves stranded at Djangoa, a town where the Once we reached the bamboo forests, we were again stunned by “Route National 6”, one of Madagascar’s main roads, crosses the the density of day geckos. In the internal bamboo forests of the Djangoa River. Djangoa is a small town with a mosque and many Ampasindava peninsular, Phelsuma vanheygeni is very common. other stone buildings. People are, as everywhere in Madagascar, It shares its habitat with Phelsuma klemmeri, Phelsuma seippe, helpful and friendly. One family even invited us even to see their Phelsuma laticauda and the bigger Phelsuma madagascariensis tamed pet black lemur. Somewhat sad, but apparently the animal, grandis. Phelsuma vanheygeni is one of the smaller day a Eulemur macaco, was well taken care of. gecko species that is well adapted to living in bamboo. It is a taxonomically isolated species and has no closely related species We crossed the river over the bridge to set up camp on the within the genus. northern bank of the river, near a bamboo forest. On the riverbank we found a juvenile mud turtle, Pelusios castanoides. Also here we found Furcifer pardalis, the typical color morph on Although crocodiles were common according to the villagers, the the Ampasinadava Peninsula, the Pink Panther. Spectacular color river offered great refreshment and an opportunity to wash off variations and subtle shape variations of the head in males in days of jungle dirt and sweat. This campsite was definitely the specific populations seem to exhibit a gradient between different best so far. regions and have been used to differentiate areas of origin. Sub- species have not been formally defined but more detailed study The highlight of this expedition was definitely the discovery of including genetic variation may reveal distinct populations in the Phelsuma vanheygeni in the bamboo forests here. This is the near future. The Panther Chameleon is indigenous to the warm first record of these recently discovered day geckos off of the and humid regions of northern, north-western, north-eastern, Ampasindava Peninsula and so close to a main road, a road that and eastern Madagascar. It is one of the most common species on has been used by many researchers on their way to Ambanja or Madagascar. Cuvier first described this highly sexually dimorphic Antananarivo. It was a very dense and healthy population since species in 1829. The larger mature males can reach a total body we recorded several specimens in a relatively short timespan. length of up to 50 cm. Phelsuma klemmeri could not be found here.

In the vicinity of a small brook we discovered a Paroedura oviceps. Near the campsite another Furcifer pardalis was sighted and In contrast to most Malagasy geckos, Paroedura species lead a again it was the “Pink Panther” or Ankaramy morph. The original mainly terrestrial life. It is a nocturnal gecko spending the daytime location of this colour morph, Ankaramy, is just 30 km further to hours under bark of dead trees. the south on the RN 6. Only one young male was found.

The descent back to the coast was somewhat easier, probably While examining a dead tree we found several beetles. Two facilitated by the spectacular view. When we arrived back near of them were a pair of mating mango tree borers, Batocera the village, the water was already so high that we had to walk rufomaculata. through several tidal creeks to reach the boat with all the gear. The beetles are considered a pest in many tropical countries since Through the mangroves we set course to cross the Ampasinadava they lay their eggs in fruit trees like mango trees. bay towards the town of Djangoa. The damage is caused by the grub of this beetle as it feeds inside the stems boring upward, resulting in branches dying. In severe Djangoa cases the stem also dies. On the same tree we also documented a Geckolepis maculata which we tried to chase out of its hiding place.

While loading our equipment in the boat, we spotted a Zonosaurus laticaudatus basking on the riverbank. A little further on we caught an impressive Hoplobatrachus tigerinus. This giant semi-aquatic frog measuring 170 mm, is the only frog that is not native to Madagascar. It was introduced by the Chinese in the Mahajanga region, the exact origin of the frogs is unknown.

We now sailed back full speed to Ambatoloaka on Nosy Bé. The next day we had to catch a plane to the Comoro Island, Mayotte. Entering the airport, and an airplane was an abrupt end to our weeks in the uncivilized jungles of the Ampasindava Peninsula.

 EXO TERRA Expedition Madagascar 2006 Journal

Mayotte We were also able to locate the other endemic day gecko species of Mayotte, Phelsuma robertmertensi. It is probably the most widespread of all endemic Phelsuma species on Mayotte. The animals are not often found in the coastal regions. Phelsuma robertmertensi occurs mostly on leaf trees like those found in the many citrus plantations and along streams where line fragments of indigenous forests can be found. We also found them licking the excretion at the end of the branches of a Frangipani tree. During daytime the animals can often be found basking on sun exposed tree trunks. Several males and females can be found on one tree, depending on the size of the tree.

We left Mayotte for our last research area on Nosy Bé, Lokobe Forest. After an hours flight we arrive back on Nosy Bé Island where we immediately head for Lokobe Forest on the south- eastern tip of the island.

Lokobe Mayotte is geographically the oldest of all four Comoro Islands and has very distinct flora and fauna. We were greeted by a group of brown lemurs, Eulemur fulvus mayottensis, upon arrival in our camp in the south of the island near Kani Kely. Brown lemurs live in social groups of up to 30 individuals. The groups are unstable as individuals freely circulate throughout groups every day. Brown lemur groups are unusually peaceful internally, with little or no dominance hierarchy and little dominance of females toward males. The diet consists mostly of fruit, young leaves, and flowers.

Soon we found ourselves again in the bamboo forests looking for two of the endemic species of Phelsuma living in this type of habitat. The bamboo on Mayotte is much denser, thicker and taller than the one on Madagascar. After a thorough search we discovered a young Phelsuma v-nigra pasteuri male. Phelsuma v-nigra can be recognized by the blue spot on the neck. In the same bamboo patch we found after continuous efforts several Lokobe is a strict reserve that enjoys the highest grade of specimens of Phelsuma nigistriata, another Mayotte endemic. protection. We entered the forest from the eastern side, an area Mayotte is one of few the islands outside Madagascar where that is only accessible by boat. also the Phelsuma laticauda laticauda also occurs. There are no morphological differences between the animals of Nosy Bé and It was here we found our first Madagascar ground boa, Acrantophis the Ampasindava peninsula. madagascariensis. This is the largest of any Malagasy snakes, they can get up to three and a half meters. In Madagascar only We saw near the bamboo forest some Pteropus seychellensis boidea, or boas occur, whereas on the African mainland mainly comorensis, a native fruit bat that usually roosts in groups but Pythonidae, or Pythons occur. It is a similar situation as with the forages for fruits individually. The fruit bats on Mayotte are Iguanidae since the distribution of Boas is mainly Central and becoming very rare. South America. The Malagasy Boas are closely related to the New World species like Boa constrictor. Acrantophis madagascariensis The only chameleon species on Mayotte was discovered near the is ovoviviparous or gives birth to live young. bamboo forest as well. Furcifer polleni belongs to the smaller chameleon species and is closely related to the other Comoro Above our heads a group of black lemurs were feeding on leaves species, Furcifer cephalolepis, and to the Malagasy species, and fruits. Black lemurs are limited to the north-western tip of Furcifer pardalis. The males reach a total length of about 20 Madagascar and the two adjacent islands of Nosy Komba and c mand females remain clearly smaller with at about 15 cm. Nosy Bé. There is striking sexual dimorphism in colour, males Females are often more colourful, but also their basic coloration are entirely black whereas female black lemurs have a dark coat is green. These chameleons are extremely aggressive towards which lightens to a deep rust on the sides and off-white on the other chameleons. stomachs. Black lemurs are social, living in groups of between

 EXO TERRA Expedition Madagascar 2006 Journal

2 to 15 related individuals. A major predator of these lemurs is areas. Geckolepis maculata is also very common in the Lokobe definitely an Acrantophis madagascariensis. forest. It can be found mostly on trees with loose bark that offers ideal hiding spaces during the day. On a tree trunk we spotted a Zonosaurus rufipes, this plated lizard is only known in the Sambirano forest regions. It is a typical The park is bordered by a pristine beach in the extreme south of forest species that is often found near brooks and small rivers in Nosy Bé Island. Some small bungalows were built here for visitors the Lokobe Forest. Since we visited Lokobe in the dry season we to Lokobe Forest. It was the ideal spot to recharge our batteries did not encounter many frogs. One of the few was this Boophis after the extensive research weeks in the Malagasy jungle. species near a small stream. This expedition answered many questions when it comes to the On a small twig a clearly gravid female with a regenerating tail of behaviour and ecology of many reptile and amphibian species. Paroedura stumpffi was discovered. This species is mainly found Many are left unanswered, so further research is necessary… we on the ground or in low scrub on the forest floor in primary forest will be back.