There are over 100 000 species of invertebrates some of which are well known by collectors, like the biggest butterfly in the world, the Comet with two trails that may exceed 20 cm, or the great phasm whose female may be as long as 25 cm. But the prize for originality could be awarded to the red and white giraffe beetle, thus dubbed for the long nape of their males.

As for reptiles and batrachians, 95% of species are endemic.

Frogs may have very unexpected colours from the military –like “uniform” of the Scaphiophyrne Marmorata to the bright red Dicophus Antongili. Chameleons are emblematic of the Great island, just like lemurs as in this country live the two-thirds of known species, from the shortest ( less than 10cm) to the longest ( more than 70 cm). As for land tortoises, of which the radiated tortoise and the one with a “ploughshare”, they are endangered species which are particularly protected.

Several families of the 285 inventoried bird species are endemic. The Vangidae are diversified into 14 species which have their own specific characteristics in terms of size, colours and beak shape . The same remark is made for the Couas where one distinguishes the Giant Coua which moves on the ground and the crested Coua which is considered as the most beautiful bird of the island. Of the 20 species of birds of prey, one can cite the snake eaters, the  red owls and the Pygarque of Madagascar which is like the white headed American eagle and for which there are only forty or so individuals left.  Carnivores number 7 wild species, all of them endemic.

The biggest of all is the Fosa, which in profile is thickset like a small puma and may be as long as 1.50m tail included. As for insectivores, the Tenrec looks like a hedgehog which would be bigger than a rabbit in size, but without the ability to roll up into a ball. Lastly, the most representative mammals of Madagascar are the lemurs, primitive prosimians which have kept a few insectivore features. Diurnal or nocturnal, with sizes from that of a mouse to that of small child, they have literally “exploded” into a myriad of species whose inventory has not been completed for new species are still discovered.

It is the case for the Lepilemur Seali, the Lepilemur Mitsinjonesis, the 300g nocturnal Mirza Zaza or the the Microcebus Lehilahitsara. But the rarest Malagasy lemur remains the Aye Aye, which was saved from extinction in 1966. It is a weird animal which is said to have combined the teeth of a rabbit, the ears of a bat, the bristle of a boar, the hands of a monkey and the tail of a fox!