10 Strangest Discoveries From Madagascar

From a chameleon that resembles Mr Burns … to the Bug Eyed Aye Aye … Here are 10 of the strangest discoveries from Madagascar
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10.Massive Prehistoric Mammal
9.Ghost Snake
8.Size Matters
7.Stone Forest
6.Fossa (FAH-suh)
It’s one of the few predators native to Madagascar … but is it a dog, a cat … or what, exactly? Experts say that despite the doglike snout and the feline bodies, the critters are actually part of the mongoose family. Fossas are nocturnal animals that eat reptiles and birds … but they especially have a taste for lemurs …more than half of their diet consists of these primates. Adults can weigh up to 19 pounds and measure around 6.5 feet long from snout to the tip of their tail … although the tail can be almost as long as their body! The long tails make their incredibly agile, allowing them to easily swing from branch to branch.
5.Giraffe Weevil
You can likely guess how this strange looking insect got is name … the elongated neck makes it look like something straight out of a sci-fi movie. And its other physical characteristics, including long legs and smaller body, make it look like an odd version of its much larger namesake. Unlike the giraffe, the insect doesn’t use its neck primarily for foraging food. Necks of the males are up to three times longer than the females … and the guys use them in combat as they fight over prospective mates. With their bodies covered with a distinctive crimson shell, they give off a fierce appearance … but they’re harmless to humans. Did you know the giraffe weevil wasn’t discovered until 2008?
4.Flat Tailed Geckos
These reptiles have a reputation as masters of camouflage. Just take a look at the picture of this Satanic Leaf Tailed Gecko. It, along with other various species of flat tailed geckos can seemingly fold their body into the shape of a leaf, and mimic that appearance. They can also mimic the appearance of tree bark. Along with the ability to change their coloration and other body modifications, the geckos can blend into its native tropical environment in Madagascar, and evade predators. The Satanic Flat Tailed variety gets their name because some of the animals have red eyes and have horn-like protuberances. Did you know that geckos are so adept at their disguises that new species and subspecies are still being discovered even today?
3.Darwin’s Bark Spiders
Spider-Man is known to spin a web any size out of super-tough fibers that he created. But Spidey may have some competition from a real-life counterpart. Darwin’s Bark Spiders are a newly discovered species of orb weaver spider found in Madagascar … and one of their webs suspended over a river measured some 80 feet … making it the world’s biggest spider web! Not only that … experts say the webs are spun out of silk that could be stronger than Kevlar … making it the world’s toughest known biological material! Researchers say the spiders constructing these monster webs are almost exclusively female … and use them to primarily feed on smaller insects like dragonflies. For spinning a web so huge, the spiders themselves are relatively minute … females measure less than an inch!
2.Aye Aye
Well, this critter is probably the poster primate for Madagascar … and we’ve featured it before on Epic Wildlife. The Aye Aye is well known for its bizarre appearance … and is a lemur that is found only in Madagascar -- not surprising since that’s the only place you can find lemurs. But here’s a couple of things you might not know about the animals. While bats use echolocation … so do Aye Ayes. In fact, they’re the only primates known to use echolocation to find their prey. They use their long middle finger to tap on trees, then listen for wood boring insect larvae within. Once located, the primate uses that long finger to dig the larvae out of the tree. And the critters have demonstrated a taste for alcohol. A study revealed that when offered a choice of alcoholic or nonalcoholic drinks, the animals will almost always choose the booze. Could that help explain their bizarre appearance?