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List of mammals of Madagascar

 
Wikipedia: List of mammals of Madagascar
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This is a list of the mammal species recorded in Madagascar. There are 204 extant mammal species in Madagascar, of which 9 are critically endangered, 30 are endangered, 30 are vulnerable, 6 are Near-Threatened, and 66 are either Data Deficient or not evaluated. The listed extinct species tagged with "PH" died out prior to the arrival of Europeans.[1]

The following tags are used to highlight each species' conservation status as assessed by the IUCN:

EX Extinct No reasonable doubt that the last individual has died.
EW Extinct in the wild Known only to survive in captivity or as a naturalized populations well outside its previous range.
CR Critically Endangered The species is in imminent risk of extinction in the wild.
EN Endangered The species is facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.
VU Vulnerable The species is facing a high risk of extinction in the wild.
NT Near Threatened The species does not meet any of the criteria that would categorise it as risking extinction but it is likely to do so in the future.
LC Least Concern There are no current identifiable risks to the species.
DD Data Deficient There is inadequate information to make an assessment of the risks to this species.

Contents

Subclass: Theria

Infraclass: Eutheria

Order: Afrosoricida (tenrecs and golden moles)

Lesser Hedgehog Tenrec
Greater Hedgehog Tenrec
Tail-less Tenrec

The order Afrosoricida contains the golden moles of southern Africa and the tenrecs of Madagascar and Africa, two families of small mammals that were traditionally part of the order Insectivora. All the native tenrecs of Madagascar are believed to descend from a common ancestor that rafted over from Africa, where only 3 species of their relatives the otter shrews survive.

†Plesiorycteropus

Order: †Bibymalagasia (bibymalagasians)

Bibymalagasia is an enigmatic order represented by one or two fossil species of dog-sized, probably insectivorous mammals. Although its phylogeny is uncertain, it appears to have affinities with aardvarks and paenungulates and is presumed to belong to the superorder Afrotheria.

Dugong

Order: Sirenia (manatees and dugongs)

Sirenia is an order of fully aquatic, herbivorous mammals that inhabit rivers, estuaries, coastal marine waters, swamps, and marine wetlands. All four species are endangered. The dugong and the tenrecs are Madagascar's only extant afrotherians.

Order: Primates

Main article: List of lemur species
†Archaeolemur majori
Gray Mouse Lemur
Aye-aye
Indri
Diademed Sifaka
Gray-headed Lemur
Collared Brown Lemur
Crowned Lemur
Red-bellied Lemur
Red Lemur
Lac Alaotra Gentle Lemur
Ring-tailed Lemur
Red Ruffed Lemur
Black-and-white Ruffed Lemur
†Palaeopropithecus ingens

The order Primates contains all the species commonly related to the lemurs, monkeys, and apes, with the latter category including humans. It is divided into four main groupings: strepsirrhines, tarsiers, monkeys of the New World, and monkeys and apes of the Old World. Madagascar's 15 genera of extant nonhuman primates compares with 6 in Central America, 19 in South America, 23 in Africa and 17 in Asia. The endemic primates of Madagascar are the lemurs, the largest branch of strepsirrhines. Between 2000 and 2008, 39 new species were described, bringing the total number of recognized species and subspecies to 99.[2] The common ancestor of Madagascar's lemurs is believed to have rafted across the Mozambique Channel from Africa between 50 and 80 million years ago.[3][4][5] A number of lemur species larger than any now alive are believed to have gone extinct shortly after the arrival of humans.

Order: Rodentia (rodents)

Malagasy Giant Rat

Rodents make up the largest order of mammals, with over 40 percent of mammalian species. They have two incisors in the upper and lower jaw which grow continually and must be keep short by gnawing. Most rodents are small though the capybara can weigh up to 45 kg (100 lb). All the native nesomyid rodents of Madagascar are believed to descend from a common ancestor that rafted over from Africa 20-25 million years ago.

Order: Soricomorpha (shrews, moles, and soledons)

The "shrew-forms" are insectivorous mammals. The shrews and soledons closely resemble mice while the moles are stout bodied burrowers.

Order: Chiroptera (bats)

The bats' most distinguishing feature is that their forelimbs are developed as wings, making them the only mammals in the world naturally capable of flight. Bat species account for about 20% of all mammals.

Order: Carnivora (carnivores)

Fossa
Ring-tailed Mongoose
Grandidier's Mongoose

The carnivorans include over 260 species, the majority of which eat meat as their primary dietary item. Carnivorans have a characteristic skull shape and dentition. All the native carnivorans of Madagascar are believed to descend from a common ancestor that rafted over from Africa 18-24 million years ago. Though their closest relatives outside Madagascar are the mongooses, the Malagasy mongooses are not "true" herpestid mongooses but rather are thought to represent an example of convergent or parallel evolution.

Order: Artiodactyla (even-toed ungulates)

†H. madagascariensis skeleton with H. amphibius skull

The even-toed ungulates are ungulates whose weight is borne about equally by the third and fourth toes, rather than mostly or entirely by the third as in perissodactyls. There are about 220 artiodactyl species, including many that are of great economic importance to humans. Madagascar's only native artioadactyls are the extinct Malagasy hippos, which are believed to have descended from ancestors that managed to cross the Mozambique Channel from Africa. More than one hippo colonization event may have occurred.

Order: Cetacea (whales)

Bryde's Whale
Humpback Whale
Southern Right Whale
Pygmy Sperm Whale
Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin
Spinner Dolphin
Fraser's Dolphin

The order Cetacea includes whales, dolphins and porpoises. They are the mammals most fully adapted to aquatic life with a spindle-shaped nearly hairless body, protected by a thick layer of blubber, and forelimbs and tail modified to provide propulsion underwater. Their closest extant relatives are artiodactyls, in particular the hippos.

Notes

  1. ^ This list is derived from the IUCN Red List which lists species of mammals and includes those mammals that have recently been classified as extinct (since 1500 AD). To these have been added some species believed to have gone extinct in prehistoric times subsequent to the arrival of humans. The taxonomy and naming of the individual species is based on those used in existing Wikipedia articles, supplemented by the common names and taxonomy from the IUCN, Smithsonian Institute, or University of Michigan where no Wikipedia article was available.
  2. ^ Mittermeier, R., Ganzhorn, J., Konstant, W., Glander, K., Tattersall, I., Groves, C., Rylands, A., Hapke, A., Ratsimbazafy, J., Mayor, M., Louis, E., Rumpler, Y., Schwitzer, C. & Rasoloarison, R. (December 2008). "Lemur Diversity in Madagascar". International Journal of Primatology 29 (6): 1607–1656. doi:10.1007/s10764-008-9317-y. 
  3. ^ Horvath, J. et al. (2008). "Development and Application of a Phylogenomic Toolkit: Resolving the Evolutionary History of Madagascar's Lemurs" (PDF). Genome Research 18 (3): 490. doi:10.1101/gr.7265208. PMID 18245770. PMC 2259113. http://www.biology.duke.edu/wraylab/papers/Horvath&al_2008.pdf. Retrieved 2008-08-22. 
  4. ^ Garbutt, N. (2007). Mammals of Madagascar, A Complete Guide. A&C Black Publishers. pp. 85–86. ISBN 978-0-300-12550-4. 
  5. ^ Mittermeier, R.A.; et al. (2006). Lemurs of Madagascar (2nd ed.). Conservation International. pp. 23–26. ISBN 1-881173-88-7. 

References

See also

v • d • e
List of mammals of Africa
Sovereign states
Dependencies,
autonomies,
other territories

Canary Islands / Ceuta / Melilla (Spain) · Madeira (Portugal) · Mayotte / Réunion (France) · Puntland · Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha (UK) · Socotra (Yemen) · Somaliland · Southern Sudan · Western Sahara · Zanzibar (Tanzania)
Italics indicate an unrecognised or partially recognised country. 1 Transcontinental country. 

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