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- Welcome to Vintsy Tours Madagascar Blog
Vintsy Tours was started by two local guides in Madagascar. The word Vintsy in Malagasy means Kingfisher and refers to the beautiful unique Kingfisher that you will find around the rivers and lakes in Madagascar. The guides have over 20 years of experience showing people their Madagascar. They have a deep and personal interest in preserving the flora and fauna that make Madagascar unique. They will help you plan a trip that suits your interests and help you achieve an unforgettable trip to Madagascar. Madagascar Madagascar officially the Republic of Madagascar is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately 400 kilometres (250 miles) off the coast of East Africa across the Mozambique Channel. At 592,800 square kilometres (228,900 sq mi) Madagascar is the world's second-largest island country. The nation is home to around 30 million inhabitants and consists of the island of Madagascar (the fourth-largest island in the world), along with numerous smaller peripheral islands. Following the prehistoric breakup of the supercontinent Gondwana, Madagascar split from the Indian subcontinent around 90 million years ago, allowing native plants and animals to evolve in relative isolation. Madagascar is a biodiversity hotspot and extremely important from a conservation viewpoint; over 90% of its wildlife is endemic. Lemur One of the most know and amazing endemic animals is the Lemur, a primate and unique to Madagascar. Following is curtesy and copyright of https://www.wildmadagascar.org/. Madagascar is home to over 110 species of lemurs across five families and 14 genera ranging in size from the 25-gram pygmy mouse lemur to the indri. All these species are endemic to Madagascar (two lemur species were introduced to the Comoros) giving the country the highest number of primate species (Brazil, which has 77 species but only two endemic genera and no endemic families, is second). And new species are still being discovered— between 2000 and 2008, 39 new species were described. Global importance of Madagascar's lemurs According to Russell Mittermeier in The Eighth Continent, although Madagascar "is only one of 92 countries with wild primate populations, it is alone responsible for 21 percent (14 of 65) of all primate genera and 36 percent (five of 14) of all primate families, making it the single highest priority" for primate conservation. "Madagascar is so important for primates that primatologists divide the world into four major regions: the whole of South and Central America, all of southern and southeast Asia, mainland Africa, and Madagascar, which ranks as a full-fledged region all by itself." Lemur Behavior Non-scientists generally group lemurs by their primary time of activity: day or night. Nocturnal lemurs are typically smaller and more reclusive than their diurnal counterparts. Lemurs are vocal animals, making sounds that range from the grunts and swears of brown lemurs and sifaka to the chirps of mouse lemurs to the eerie, wailing call of the indri, which has been likened to a cross between a police siren and the song of a humpback whale. Chameleons No conversation about Madagascar could be complete without introducing the Chameleon. Chameleons are distinguished by their zygodactylous feet (arrangement of the digits with two toes facing forward (digits 2 and 3) and two back), their prehensile tail, their laterally compressed bodies, their head casques, their projectile tongues, their unique swaying walk, and crests or horns on their brow and snout. Chameleons' eyes are independently mobile, and because of this there are two separate, individual images that the brain is analyzing of the chameleon’s environment. Come and see Madagascar with Vintsy Tours We are ready to welcome you to Madagascar. Every tour is tailored to meet the expectations of our guests. Contact us at Vintsy Tours for more information. We hope to see you in Madagascar very soon.