Wednesday, May 15, 2024

Sulawesi, Bridging the Gap!

Greetings Everyone,
Our quest to see the amazing biodiversity found on Earth has brought us to Sulawesi, one of the islands that comprise the Asian country of Indonesia. Sulawesi is special because it is located in a transitional zone between Asia and Australia and has animals of both origins. Our goal was to find some of these endemic mammals found here and nowhere else on the planet. We were greeted at the Gorontalo Airport by our guide Carlos Bocos and local staff. We piled into a Toyota 4x4 for the 5-hour drive to Nantu Village. We settled into our guesthouse and waited out a torrential thunderstorm before venturing into nearby Nantu Forest for a night walk. 

Marc in the Nantu Guest House

We were joined by two rangers who led us past cornfields and coconut plantations to the shore of the raging Paguyamon River. The water was deep and swift, and Marc and I each latched onto a ranger for the crossing. We made it safely across and followed a path to the rangers’ station. We were fortunate to have been allowed into the forest after dark, as night walks aren’t usually allowed. 

Meeting the Forest Rangers

The first mammal we encountered on our walk was a Sulawesi Rousette or Sulawesi Fruit Bat, one of the more common species found here. The Sulawesi Rousette is endemic to the island of Sulawesi and is the only member of the genus Pilonycteris.

Sulawesi Rousette

One of the rangers spotted a Jatna’s Tarsier, one of the species I most wanted to see! Jatna’s Tarsier is a tiny nocturnal primate endemic to northern Sulawesi. In 2017, Jatna’s Tarsier was split from Gursky’s Spectral Tarsier due to their distinct and separate acoustic duet calls between males and females.

Jatna’s Tarsier

We weren’t picking up any eyeshine with our headlamps and had to rely on Carlos’s thermal imager to spot mammals. He detected a second species of fruit bat, a Wallace’s Stripe-faced Fruit Bat, another Sulawesi endemic and listed as near threatened by the IUCN.

Wallace’s Stripe-faced Fruit Bat

The night was capped off by a second Jatna’s Tarsier, two species of frog, and a land snail. It was getting late, so we headed back to the rangers’ station. Near the river, I spotted eyeshine! It turned out to be four Javan Deer, an introduced species here.

Javan Deer

We were up early the following morning in anticipation of seeing a Babirusa, a bizarre species of wild pig that was on my most-wanted-to-see list. It meant crossing the swiftly flowing river again and hiking a mile into the forest to a hide that had been set up at a salt lick or bai. 

Babirusa Hide

We sat quietly in high hopes that the Babirusa and Sulawesi Warty Pigs would enter the bai. Around 9:00, Marc spotted a macaque! Two Heck’s Macaques entered the bai and sat on a log on the edge of the clearing, but we didn’t have a great view of them. After 15 minutes, they got up and recrossed the baie so Marc was able to get some good photos.

Heck’s Macaque

We waited and waited for the pigs to arrive, but they were a no-show. A few birds, mostly doves, dragonflies, and a lizard entertained us. While Marc was trying to photograph the lizard, I spotted a Common Water Monitor crossing the bai. About 5 minutes later, we heard something big rustling through the grass. It was the monitor lizard. It almost entered the hide but saw us and tore off! It was nearing 3:00 pm, and we had given up hope that the Babirusa and Sulawesi Warty Pigs would show up. I was bummed but we still had tomorrow to try again. No sooner had we set off when the skies opened up and we were drenched in the sudden downpour. We rushed to the river to cross before it got too high, not even bothering to change into our river shoes.

We were up for an early breakfast and departure for our second attempt at the hide. There were more clouds around this morning, and I hoped they’d disperse as the sun rose higher. We hiked to the river, and the sight before us left us all in dismay. The river had risen significantly and now reached the log where we had changed our shoes yesterday! 

Swollen River Crossing

Carlos stripped down to his shorts to test the waters. He made it across, but the water was up to his crotch. It would be above my waist. He returned, and it was clear he had to use all his body strength to fight the current. There was no way we could make it safely across. Curses, we’d miss the Babirusa and Sulawesi Warty Pigs! We had no choice but to return to the guesthouse and decided to move on to our next destination.

Leaving Nantu

It ended up taking us 10 hours to reach the Totabuen Citawaya Hotel in the city of Kotamobagu! The hotel was very nice and modern, with a hairdryer to help dry out our still soggy boots. After dinner, we prepared to do a night walk in Bogani Nani Wartabone National Park, also known locally as Toraut, an hour’s drive away. To enter the park, we had to cross a creek on a bamboo raft. On the other side, we entered the forest and found our first mammal, a Gursky’s Spectral Tarsier. Named for Dr. Sharon Gursky, this tarsier is the one from which Jatna’s Tarsier was split in 2017.

Gursky’s Spectral Tarsier

With his thermal imager, Carlos spotted what he thought was a Sulawesi Dwarf Cuscus, but it turned out to be a Sulawesi Giant Rat. We did see two more rats, both were Northeastern Xanthurus Rats. 

Northeastern Xanthurus Rat

A very unusual bat, a Pallas’s Tube-nosed Fruit Bat, was spotted. It had yellow spots on its wings, which I thought were leaves. I’d never heard of a bat using camouflage for roosting, but why else would it evolve this way? I later read that “ with their brown, yellow and pale green splotches, Tube-nosed Fruit Bats have amongst the most colorful wings of all bats. The patterning acts as camouflage, resembling dead leaves when at rest amongst rainforest trees.”

Pallas’s Tube-nosed Fruit Bat

Although mammals were the focus of our night walk, we weren’t ignoring the birds. Carlos got very excited when he spotted a tiny bird roosting on a branch above the trail. It turned out to be a Rufous-throated Flycatcher, a near-threatened species that is usually difficult to see. 

Rufous-throated Flycatcher

We also saw a few tiny Mouse-eared and Woolly Bats hanging from twigs. Identifying them to the species level proved difficult. The final bat species we could identify were Dark Sheath-tailed Bats roosting under a palm frond.

Dark Sheath-tailed Bats

The most exciting find of the night was a Small Sulawesi Cuscus! It was high in a tree, making photography difficult but not impossible for Marc.

Small Sulawesi Cuscus

We made our way back to the creek, crossed on the bamboo raft, and drove an hour back to our hotel. We turned in around 2:00 am after a very long day. The following morning, we returned to the park to search for Gorontalo Macaques along the road. They were proving to be elusive, but we managed to pick up a new mammal, a Whitish Dwarf Squirrel. Finally, our guide spotted a small troop of macaques in the forest. It was difficult to get a clear view, but we managed a glimpse here and there.

Gorontalo Macaque

The Gorontalo Macaque is one of seven macaque species endemic to Sulawesi. They are range-restricted to the central section of the northwestern peninsula, where they spend 96% of their time in the trees. We returned to our hotel and, after a late lunch, drove to our next destination, Tangkoko Batuangus Nature Reserve. We arrived late, and after the long drive, we decided to forego a night walk. 

Morning came quickly, and we were up early to start our search for Sulawesi’s more famous (or infamous) residents, the Celebes Crested Macaques. We were joined by local guide Enyse and followed a trail through lowland forest. Enyse spotted a Bear Cuscus, one of our key targets! We got a decent view before it climbed higher into the foliage. We were walking away when Carlos noticed it was coming back down. The cuscus perched in the open on a thin branch and watched us, amazing! 

Bear Cuscus

The Bear Cuscus is an arboreal marsupial endemic to Sulawesi and the surrounding islands. Very little is known about these intriguing animals. There were two more Bear Cuscus, but they were high up in the trees. We headed off into the forest to look for squirrels and roosting bats. Carlos searched every hollow tree for bats and managed to find a Lesser Short-nosed Fruit Bat, a male and female Sulawesi Horseshoe Bat, and some Lesser False Vampire Bats. 

Lesser False Vampire Bats

Enyse got a call that the macaques had been located, and we headed back towards the beach to find them. We reached the main trail and turned left. Enyse got a call that the macaques had moved, so we turned around and headed in the opposite direction. We soon encountered a large troop! Enyse said there were up to 70 individuals in this group. 

Celebes Crested Macaque

They were well habituated, and you could approach closely, although we kept a safe distance. The males have large canines and can be aggressive. 

Celebes Crested Macaque

The Celebes Crested Macaques live in Tangkoko and on some smaller neighboring islands. They are critically endangered, with only 4000 to 6000 in Tangkoko.

So what makes the Celebes Crested Macaque the island’s most famous resident? The answer may surprise you. They were involved in several disputes regarding the copyright status of selfies taken by the macaques on a game camera set up by a British wildlife photographer, David J. Slater! The court ultimately ruled in favor of Slater, finding that animals have no legal authority to hold copyright claims. Slater’s legal battles left him broke and depressed, but he was delighted that the publicity had led to tourists visiting to see the monkeys, providing a longer-term benefit to the community and the impetus to protect the Celebes Crested Macaques.

We watched as the group foraged for fruit in the forest or through trash on the beach. One male was banging a coconut on a rock to get at the meat inside. 

Celebes Crested Macaque

Infants were nursing or playing with one another. Young males were aggressive towards each other, and several fierce scrabbles broke out. We left the group in peace and headed back to the car park.

After some downtime, we returned to the reserve in the late afternoon to visit a tarsier roosting tree and wait for the primates to emerge at dusk. Other tourists, the first we had encountered on our trip, had already gathered at the “Tarsier Tree”. A Gursky’s Spectral Tarsier poked its head out around 5:45, and naturally, everyone wanted to take its photo. At about the same time, Marc spotted another mammal heading down a branch toward the trunk. It was a Celebes Dwarf Squirrel, a mammal we had yet to see. Unfortunately, in all the tarsier commotion, it fled back up the branch. A pair of tarsiers eventually emerged, giving everyone good views and photos.

Gursky’s Spectral Tarsier

We headed off into the forest to look for rats and bats. Carlos was picking up many rats with his thermal imager, but they were impossible to get a look at, let alone photograph. We chased them for nearly two hours before one froze in a tree, and Marc was able to photograph it.

Northeastern Xanthurus Rat

The following morning, we returned to the reserve with Enyse to search for a Celebes Dwarf Squirrel to photograph. Carlos kept looking under palm fronds for roosting bats and found a new species, Peters’s Fruit Bat.

Peters’s Fruit Bat

He lifted one frond and became very excited when he found some very unusual bats. These bats were clearly different, cream-colored with pink faces. The hope was that they were a new species for Carlos. Further investigation proved them to be Hardwickie’s Woolly Bats, a species that Carlos has already seen, but never in this area.

Hardwickie’s Woolly Bats

As we were nearing the end of our walk, Carlos and I heard what we thought might be a squirrel. Could it be, yes, a Celebes Dwarf Squirrel! There were actually two, and Marc was able to get a good photo.

Celebes Dwarf Squirrel

We returned to the lodge where we said goodbye to Enyse and thanked him for finding so many amazing mammals for us.

Leaving Enyse

After lunch, we drove to Manado, where we would spend our final night on Sulawesi. A big thank you goes to Olva and Brian for organizing the logistics and making sure everything ran smoothly during our stay. Our sincere gratitude goes to our driver, Maikel, who got us safely from one destination to the next and whose good company made the long drives pass more quickly. Finally, to our fearless leader, Carlos Bocos, who made this trip possible, and for his boundless energy in finding mammals and birds! 

On to West Papua with Carlos, where hopefully more wondrous creatures and epic adventures await us!
We hope all is well with everyone.
Peggy and Marc

Our route map:



Sulawesi Mammal List: May 15 - 20, 2024

No.   SpeciesScientific Name Comments
   1Sulawesi RousettePilonycteris celebensiNantu
   2Wallace’s Stripe-faced Fruit Bat  Styloctenium wallacei Nantu
   3Jatna’s TarsierTarsius supriatnai Nantu
   4Javan DeerRusa timorensis Nantu
   5Heck’s MacaqueMacaca hecki Nantu
   6Pallas’s Tube-nosed Fruit BatNyctimene cephalote Toraut 
   7Gursky’s Spectral Tarsier Tarsius spectrumgurskyae Toraut & Tangkoko
   8Mouse-eared BatMyotis sp.Toraut
   9Woolly BatKerivoula sp.Toraut
 10Dark Sheath-tailed BatMosia nigrescens Toraut
 11Northeastern Xanthurus RatRattus xanthurus Toraut
 12Small Sulawesi CuscusStrigocuscus celbenis Toraut
 13Whitish Dwarf Squirrel Prosciurillus leucomus Toraut
 14Gorontalo Macaque Macaca nigrescens Toraut
 15Bear Cuscus Ailurops ursinus Tangkoko
 16Lesser Short-nosed Fruit BatCynopterus brachyotis Tangkoko
 17Sulawesi Horseshoe BatRhinolophus celebensiTangkoko
 18Lesser False Vampire BatMegaderma spasma Tangkoko
 19Hardwicke’s Woolly Bats Kerivoula hardwickiiTangkoko
 20Celebes Crested MacaqueMacaca nigra Tangkoko
 21Polynesian RatRattus exulans Tangkoko 
 22Peters’s Fruit BatCynopterus luzoniensis Tangkoko
 23Celebes Dwarf Squirrel Prosciurillus murinus Tangkoko


For a complete list of non-avian observations made during our trip, visit my iNaturalist journal post at: 


Monday, September 18, 2023

Madagascar, a Biodiversity Eden!

Greetings Everyone,
We’re in the island of Madagascar with tour leader, Patrick Richard, searching for wildlife found nowhere else on the planet. Madagascar often dubbed the eighth continent, is a treasure trove of biodiversity and the final leg of our journey has brought us to the far north of the island. We flew from Antananarivo to Sambava early on the morning of Sept. 18 where we met our new driver Lee and piled into his minivan for the drive to Marojejy National Park. At the park headquarters, we met local guide Reese and cook Romeo, packed what we needed for the next 2 nights in the park, and drove to Manantenina Village for the start of our hike. 

Marojejy National Park

The first 2 km were past rice paddies and grazing Zebu cattle before we arrived at the park boundary. We entered a secondary forest and looked intently for lemurs but none were around. As we approached Camp Mantella, we glimpsed a Northern Bamboo Lemur in the dense vegetation but the White-fronted Brown Lemurs remained elusive. It was raining when we reached camp and settled into our basic cabin waiting for the weather to clear. A night walk around camp yielded a new lemur species for us, Mittermeier’s Mouse Lemur. One posed nicely on a wild banana flower with pollen on its face.

Mittermeier’s Mouse Lemur

Early the next morning, we packed and headed up toward Camp Marojejia. A Northern Bamboo Lemur was feeding on a wild banana flower, the first time Reece had observed this behavior.

Northern Bamboo Lemur

The weather had greatly improved and it was a pleasant walk through the rainforest. The trail steepened as we neared Camp Marojejia and had to use fixed ropes to scramble up some big rocks.

Camp Marojejia

The camp had a nice view of a rock face of Marojejy Peak and Reece suggested we take a break but I was eager to see the Silky Sifakas. We continued steeply up about 300m above camp where we left the trail and bushwhacked our way through the thick vegetation to where a tracker had found a family of Silky Sifakas. The matriarch was sleeping in a tree and we got a good view of her when she lifted her head.

Silky Sifaka

The rest of the family consisted of an adult male, 2 juvenile males, and an infant about two years old. The Silky Sifaka is one of the rarest mammals in the world! They exist in a very range-restricted area hence the effort to reach them was well worth it. We followed the family, no easy feat on the steep terrain but we got even closer and better views. One curious juvenile male approached us to within 100 meters!

Silky Sifaka

Our encounter with the Silky Sifaka family was better than I had hoped. Our intrusion into their world caused minimal disturbance and provided the locals with much-needed income and a reason to protect these beautiful and rare animals!

Back at camp, Romeo served us a delicious lunch of salad and spaghetti bolognese. Two Ring-tailed Vontsiras showed up scavenging for leftovers under the kitchen hut giving us great views and photos.

Ring-tailed Vontsira

At night the montane rainforest comes alive with herps including frogs, chameleons, and geckos. A pair of Madagascar Bright-eyed Frogs were mating in the creek below camp. The male is dwarfed in size by the female.

Madagascar Bright-eyed Frogs


The Mossy Leaf-tailed Gecko is a master of disguise. When perched on a twig they blend in perfectly with their surroundings as they wait for unsuspecting prey.

Mossy Leaf-tailed Gecko

September 20, our 37th wedding anniversary started early in the morning. I was hoping to see an Aye-aye, the most bizarre of all lemurs but we had a long journey to reach their location. It started with the long trek back to Manantenina Village where Lee was waiting for us. Along the way, Reese spotted a Helmut Vanga, the most sought-after target by birders in Madagascar! They nest here in the lowland rainforest and I was hoping we’d get a view of this spectacular bird with its distinctive blue arched bill.

Helmut Vanga

Back at the park headquarters we retrieved our big duffels and set off for Sambava. An unexpected delay in town meant we wouldn’t leave until 2:30 in the afternoon and still had 4 hours to Daraina! Would we get to the Aye-aye site on time? Once they leave their nest to feed at night, they are nearly impossible to find. The race toward Daraina dodging Zebu along the way was on! Finally, in near darkness, we reached the turnoff where our local guide was waiting. He had found an occupied Aye-Aye nest in the morning but would it still be there? He rushed off to find out and we followed, losing him along the way. We managed to reconnect and got the bad news, the Aye-aye had left the nest and the guide was unable to locate it. We returned to the van crestfallen but made a new plan. We’d stick around Daraina the following day into the evening and drive to Ankarana Lodge after we had seen the Aye-aye. We drove to Camp Tattersalli where a large tent under a thatched roof had been set up for us. After dinner, we were too tired to go on a night walk and decided to call it a day. Not exactly the anniversary I was hoping for but one I’ll always remember!

As we were finishing breakfast the following morning, a family group of 10 Crowned Lemurs came to camp for a drink. We got close and had prolonged views as they came to the edge of the forest and crossed the road. Behind the caretaker’s hut, a yellow container with water had been set up on a platform for the lemurs to drink from. This species exhibits sexual dimorphism, females have a gray body with an orange crown and males are a darker reddish brown with a black and orange crown.

Crowned Lemurs

We entered the dry deciduous forest to search for two more lemur species that live here. Not far from camp, we found a family group of Golden-crowned or Tattersall’s Sifaka named after its discoverer, Ian Tattersall who first spotted this species in 1974. The Golden-crowned Sifaka was only formally described in 1988 and sadly today is listed as critically endangered. 

Golden-crowned Sifaka

The third lemur species that lives near Camp Tattersalli is actually a nocturnal species however, the caretaker knew the location of a day roost and we got great views of a Daraina Sportive Lemur. 

Daraina Sportive Lemur

Back at camp, we had lunch and the caretaker told us his son had located an occupied Aye-aye nest, yippee! This time we’d arrive at the location before dusk to wait for the Aye-aye to emerge. We drove to the same location as last night and proceeded on foot into the forest. As we got deeper into the reserve, I was surprised to hear many voices. Villagers from Daraina had set up makeshift camps inside the reserve to mine for gold! Many 20-foot-deep pits had been dug by hand and we had to carefully negotiate around them. Unfortunately, the Aye-aye nest was in the vicinity of a deep pit and as darkness fell we had to be especially mindful. A few curious villagers hung out with us as they had never seen an Aye-aye. Finally, under the cover of darkness, the Aye-aye emerged from its nest and began a long grooming session. Using its long middle digit, the Aye-aye gave his fur a thorough combing and finished the task by licking his shaggy coat. I’d never seen a primate groom in this manner, certainly more cat-like behavior. 

Aye-aye

Once presentable, the Aye-aye could start his nocturnal foraging using a technique called percussive foraging. First, the Aya-aye taps on trees to find grubs, then gnaws holes in the wood and uses its long middle finger to pull the grubs out. Only a few mammals use this foraging method more commonly employed by woodpeckers.

On the way back to our vehicle we encountered another nocturnal lemur species, the Tavaratra Mouse Lemur.

Tavaratra Mouse Lemur

I was so happy that we had decided to spend a second evening in Daraina to see the Aye-aye, the most bizarre and ecologically interesting of all lemur species. Now, we had to make the long drive to Ankarana Lodge where we’d spend the night.

We left early the following morning for our next destination, the long-anticipated Akiba Lodge. This meant skipping Ankarana National Park and a chance to see the Ankarana Dwarf Lemur. We arrived at the Akiba Lodge run by Fanamby, a local non-profit, that encourages community-based ecotourism. After lunch, we set off to search the Analamerana Special Reserve, the last refuge for the critically endangered Perrier’s Sifaka. It took a bit of effort to climb the steep trails to reach the realm of the sifakas of which less than 500 exist in the wild. What a privilege to spend time with one of the rarest and most endangered primates in the world!

Perrier’s Sifaka

The reserve is also home to Crowned Lemurs (which we had seen), Sanford’s Brown Lemur, and Ankarana Sportive Lemur, two additional lemur species for us. 

Ankarana Sportive Lemur

The following morning we left Akiba Lodge for our final destination of the trip, Amber Mountain National Park. We checked into our accommodation, the Nature Lodge and had lunch before venturing into the park with our new local guide, Enyse. The forest is quite stunning with many bird nest ferns growing on trees over 100 feet tall. We didn’t find any mammals but saw many herps including Elephant-eared Chameleon (Calumma amber), Northern Blue-nosed Chameleon (Calumma linotum), Antakarana Leaf Chameleon (Brookesia antakarana) and Brookesia Tuburculata, the 3rd smallest chameleon in the world. 

Brookesia Tuburculata

We caught a brief look at a Sanford’s Brown Lemur but other than that there were no mammals to be found even in the campground. The sun was getting low in the sky when Enyse spotted a group of 8 Sanford’s Brown Lemurs feeding on flowers in an avocado tree next to a park staff cabin. This was our closest and best view yet of this beautiful species. 

Sanford’s Brown Lemur

By now it was getting dark, time for our night walk. No sooner had we started when a white pickup pulled up. The occupants told Patrick and Enyse that night walks are not allowed in the park which by the way closed at 5:00 pm. We had no choice but to leave, bummer! Enyse ran back to the campground to get Lee who was waiting there. In the meantime, I spotted an Arnhold’s Mouse Lemur high in a tree at the base of a bird nest fern. 

 Arnhold’s Mouse Lemur

We drove back to the park headquarters and started to spotlight from there. Amazingly, Marc and I were picking up a lot of eyeshine with our headlamps. The biggest surprise was a Montagne D’Ambre Fork-marked Lemur and Marc was able to get an amazing shot. Normally this species is found deep in the forest.

Montagne D’Ambre Fork-marked Lemur

We also saw several Montagne D’Ambre Dwarf Lemurs. 

Montagne D’Ambre Dwarf Lemur

So, despite being kicked out of the park, we found all 3 of our key nocturnal lemur species!

The next day we hiked to one of the crater lakes in the park. Enyse had seen a Falanouc, one of Madagascar’s rarest carnivores, along the trail in the past and we were hoping to get lucky. We staked out various points along the trail hoping a Falanouc would pass. Sadly, no Falanouc made an appearance today. Back at the campground, another one of Madagascar’s endemic carnivores was out in full force. We must have seen 5 Ring-tailed Vontsiras raiding picnic tables! 

Ring-tailed Vontsiras 

We returned to the Nature Lodge for our final official night of the tour. Tomorrow, we’d fly back to Antananarivo where we’d have to say goodbye to Patrick. What an amazing trip it’s been thanks to Patrick Richard, Haja, and Lee our drivers, and all our amazing local guides. Madagascar is truly a biodiversity Eden with so many plants and animals found here and nowhere else on the planet!

Us with Patrick Richard


We hope all is well with everyone,
Peggy and Marc

Our route map:


                   Madagascar Mammal List 
  1. Fossa (Cryptoprocta ferox) KF
  2. Pale Fork-marked Lemur (Phaner pallescens) KF
  3. Gray Mouse Lemur (Microcebus murinus) KF
  4. Red-tailed Sportive Lemur (Lepilemur ruficaudatus) KF
  5. Western or Bastard Big-footed Mouse (Macrotarsomys bastardi) KF
  6. Verreaux’s Sifaka (Propithecus verreauxi) KF
  7. Red-fronted Brown Lemur (Eulemur rufifrons) KF 
  8. Bokiboky or Narrow-striped Mongoose or Vontsira (Mungotictis decemlineata) KF
  9. Western Tufted-tail Rat (Elirus Mioxymus) KF (glimpse)
  10. Peter’s or Pygmy Mouse Lemur (Microcebus myoxinus) TNP
  11. Randrianasolo’s Sportive Lemur (Lepilemur randrianasoloi) TNP
  12. Decken’s Sifaka (Propithecus deckenii) TNP
  13. Rufous Brown Lemur (Eulemur rufus) TNP
  14. Ring-tailed Vontsira (Galidia elegans)TNP
  15. Bent-winged  Bat (Miniopterus sp.) TNP
  16. Mauritian Tomb Bat (Taphozous mauritianus) TNP
  17. Madagascan Flying Fox (Pteropus rufus) TNP
  18. Giant Jumping Rat (Hypogeomys antimena ) KF
  19. Goodman’s Mouse Lemur (Microcebus lehilahytsara) VR, ANP, MR
  20. Lowland Streaked Tenrec (Hemicentetes semispinosus) VR
  21. Eastern Woolly Lemur (Avahi laniger) VR
  22. Indri (Indri indri) ANP, MR
  23. Common Brown Lemur (Eulemur fulvus) ANP, VR
  24. Diadem Sifaka (Propithecus diadema) ANP, MR
  25. Eastern Lesser Bamboo Lemur (Hapalemur griseus) VR & Ranomafana subspecies ranomafanensis
  26. Crossley's or Furry-eared Dwarf Lemur (Cheirogaleus crossleyi) ANP
  27. Madagascan Rousette (Rousettus madagascariensis) MR
  28. Black-and-white Ruffed Lemur (Varecia variegata) MR
  29. Red-bellied Lemur (Eulemur rubriventer) MR & RNP
  30. Weasel Sportive Lemur (Lepilemur mustelinus) MR
  31. Major's long-fingered bat (Miniopterus major) RNP
  32. Brown or Rufous Mouse Lemur (Microcebus rufus) RNP
  33. Spotted Fanaloka (Fossa fossana) RNP
  34. Small-toothed Sportive Lemur (Lepilemur microdon) RNP
  35. Groves’ and/or Sibree’s Dwarf Lemur (Cheirogaleus grovesi or sibreeiRNP (most likely)
  36. Golden bamboo lemur (Hapalemur aureus) RNP
  37. Greater bamboo lemur (Hapalemur simus) RNP
  38. Milne-Edwards’s Sifaka (Propithecus edwardsi) RNP
  39. Red Forest Rat (Nesomys rufus) RNP (P & P only)
  40. White-tailed Tree Rat (Brachytarsmis albicaudata) RNP
  41. Northern (Western) Gray Bamboo Lemur (Hapalemur occidentalis) MAR
  42. Silky Sifaka (Propithecus candidus) MAR
  43. Mittermeier’s Mouse Lemur (Microcebus mittermeieri) MAR
  44. Crowned Lemur (Eulemur coronatus) DAR & ANDR
  45. Golden-crowned Sifaka (Propithecus tattersallii) DAR
  46. Daraina Sportive Lemur (Lepilemur milanoii) DAR
  47. Daraina or Amber Mountain Fork-marked Lemur (Phaner electromontis) DAR & MdA
  48. Aye-Aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis) DAR
  49. Northern Mouse Lemur (Microcebus tavaratra) DAR & Andr
  50. Ankarana Sportive Lemur (Lepilemur ankaranensis) Andr
  51. Perrier’s Sifaka (Propithecus perrieri) Andr
  52. Sanford’s Brown Lemur (Eulemur sanfordi) Andr & MdA
  53. Amber Mt. Dwarf Lemur (Cheirogaleus andysabini) MdA
  54. Arnold’s Mouse Lemur (Microcebus arnholdi) MdA


Key:

LP = Lemur’s Park (captive)

KF = Kirindy Mitea National Park

TNP = Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park

VR = VOIMMA Reserve

ANP = Antisibe National Park

MR = Maromizaha Reserve

RNP = Ranomafana National Park

MAR = Marojejy National Park

DAR = Daraina

Andr = Andrafiamena Forest

MdA = Montagne D’Ambre 



For a complete list of non-avian observations made during our trip, visit my iNaturalist journal post at: 
Madagascar Tour, Aug. 28 - Sept. 28, 2023