Furcifer verrucosus by mitchberk, on Flickr
Furcifer verrucosus by mitchberk, on FlickrIn the above pictures the chameleon is rather annoyed at me and its body and gular regions are inflated. In the picture below, the same chameleon is deflated appearing much "thinner".
Furcifer verrucosus by mitchberk, on Flickr
Furcifer verrucosus by mitchberk, on FlickrOnto the geckos. Paroedura picta is a small nocturnal gecko found in arid forests in southern Madagascar. It is characterized by the diagonal banding on its body.
Paroedura picta by mitchberk, on Flickr
Paroedura picta by mitchberk, on FlickrThe eyes have the typical vertical pupil of nocturnal geckos.
Paroedura picta by mitchberk, on FlickrThe very fine restaurant at the arboretum did not lack for non-native nocturnal geckos as represented by Hemidactylus mercatorius.
Hemidactylus mercatorius by mitchberk, on FlickrThe very small Lygodactylus tuberosus is commonly associated with trees. This individual appears gravid.
Lygodactylus tuberosus by mitchberk, on FlickrThe fish-scale gecko, Geckolepis typica is capable of shedding its large scales when stressed. Luckily this did not happen to this individual during the photo session.
Geckolepis typica by mitchberk, on Flickr
Geckolepis typica by mitchberk, on FlickrThe arboretum also contained the day gecko, Phelsuma mutabilis as was also found in Ifaty.
Phelsuma mutabilis by mitchberk, on FlickrI caught this Phelsuma mutabilis licking its eye.
Phelsuma mutabilis by mitchberk, on FlickrA representative of the Gerrhosaurids, Tracheloptychus madagascariensis, was prevalent at the arboretum. They greeted us on the sidewalk before we even got to our cottage. Tracheloptychus madagascariensis looks similar to Tracheloptychus petersi that was found in Reniala National Forest. Tracheloptychus madagascariensis has three light-colored stripes bordered by two black stripes on its back while Tracheloptychus petersi has a dorsolateral black stripe bordered by a light colored stripe on each side. But most obvious is the brownish coloration of T. madagascariensis rather than the reddish coloration of T. petersi
Tracheloptychus madagascariensis by mitchberk, on Flickr from Arboretum d'Antsokay
Tracheloptychus petersi by mitchberk, on Flickr from Reniala National ForestAs for skinks, Trachylepis aureopunctata was found perched on a tree stump adjacent to our cottage and along the road.
Trachylepis aureopunctata by mitchberk, on FlickrIguanids were represented by the spiny-tailed Oplurus cyclurus posed on logs around the cottages and in the dry forest. The one pictured immediately below has a regenerated tip of its tail, which is common.
Oplurus cyclurus by mitchberk, on Flickr
Oplurus cyclurus by mitchberk, on FlickrNow for the snakes. Heteroliodon occipitalis
Heteroliodon occipitalis by mitchberk, on FlickrMimophis mahfalensis was found slithering into the outdoor restaurant at the Arboretum d Antsokay.
Mimophis mahfalensis by mitchberk, on FlickrAs for frogs, Scaphiophryne brevis made an appearance.
Scaphiophryne brevis by mitchberk, on FlickrBirding was quit good. The Running Coua (Coua cursor) was habituated to the presence of humans.
Running Coua (Coua cursor) by mitchberk, on FlickrMadagascar Magpie Robin (Copsychus albospecularis)
Madagascar Magpie Robin (Copsychus albospecularis) by mitchberk, on FlickrNamaqua Dove (Oena capensis), male. This species is sexually dimorphic.
Namaqua Dove (Oena capensis), male by mitchberk, on FlickrNamaqua Dove (Oena capensis), female
Namaqua Dove (Oena capensis), female by mitchberk, on FlickrMadagascar Bee-eater (Merops superciliosus)
Madagascar Bee-eater (Merops superciliosus) by mitchberk, on FlickrMadagascar Bulbul (Hypsipetes madagascariensis)
Madagascar Bulbul (Hypsipetes madagascariensis) by mitchberk, on FlickrInvertebrates were represented by various species of spiders. I found this mygalomorph spider on the sandy floor of the restaurant prior to our nocturnal hike.
mygalomorph spider by mitchberk, on Flickr
Spider by mitchberk, on FlickrThis appears to be the same species of spider that we found in the Reniala Forest. I could not resist showing it again since it has such a striking banded pattern on its legs.
Spider by mitchberk, on FlickrMany species of dragonflies make Madagascar home. I have not attempted to key them out.
Dragonfly by mitchberk, on FlickrMadagascar Part 3 will cover the animals found in Isalo National Park. Spoiler alert: Both tree and ground boas were observed and photographed.
