Nosy Mangabe is a mall island located approximately a third
of the way from Maroansetra to the tip of the Masoala peninsula. It has an
interesting history including a center of trading, a refuge for Dutch sailors
busily engaged in marauding French commerce vessels and has several bays known for
being pirate havens.
The island is for the most part steep hilly terrain covered
in dense tropical rainforest. A protected reserve was created primarily to save
the endangered nocturnal Aye-Aye, a small and very strange looking Lemur
brought to the island for protection from extinction.
Luckily enough the island has proven to be a fantastic
source of species discovery including many plants, insects and the five
smallest Chameleons in the world. One of which I was lucky enough to find and
photograph.
The island is also famous for its heavy population of Henkel’s
Leaf-tailed Geckos making for easier daytime spotting despite their nocturnal habit
and being the at best camouflage among all Gecko species.
The highlands have a healthy population of the endangered Black
and White Ruffed Lemurs, they tend to be less shy than the Red Ruffed Lemurs of
the Masoala Peninsula, probably due to limited predation by locals. There are no
villages on this island and fauna population density is reflective of that
fact.
Although hiking is rigorous with steep ascents and descents
between hilltops the trails are fantastic and the setting idyllic. I could stay
here for a good while.
 |
| Nosy Mangabe |
 |
| Long Horned Cricket (Orthoptera Ensifera) |
 |
| Black-and-white Ruffed Lemur (Varecia variegata) |
 |
| Black-and-white Ruffed Lemur (Varecia variegata) |
 |
| Yellow-backed Mantella (Mantella sp) |
%2BMasoala.jpg) |
| Henkel's Leaf-tailed Gecko (Uroplatus henkeli) |
-001.jpg) |
| Peyrieras' Pygmy Chameleon (Brookesia peyrierasi) 7 cm in length |
