Madagascar is an island country in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa, it's jungles has a very diverse variety of plants and animals that can be found nowhere else on Earth. It's forests lie on the east coast of the island and receive more than 100 inches of rain annually. There are five distinct layers that make up a rainforest, this includes an overstory, canopy, understory, shrub layer and forest floor.
Forest Layers
The over story of Madagascar jungles consist of the tops of the highest trees growing up to between 20 and 100 feet higher than the rest of the canopy. A canopy is a dense thicket of closely spaces trees that block off sunlight from the area below. The treetops of the forest are home to 70 - 90 % of the area's plants and wildlife.
The under story consists of smaller and younger trees that are more widely spaced apart under the canopy. The shrub layer reaches up to 5 - 20 feet above the forest floor and is home to tree trunks, fungus and other low growing vegetation.
Plants & Vegetation
The world's main source of vanilla is almost 80% sourced from Madagascar, where it is produced and collected from many villages. Vanilla is grown on Madagascar and other tropical areas along the Indian Ocean. The majority of the world's vanilla is most commonly known as Bourbon vanilla or Madagascar vanilla. Vanilla is a flower of the orchid family, that needs the help of human hands to produce it's fruit, and each flower must be pollinated by hand.
The Catharanthus Roseus (Madagascar periwinkle) is a genus of eight species of herbaceous perennial plants, seven of them are native to Madagascar. This species of plant is self-reproduced from seeds, the seeds require a period of total darkness to germinate. Cuttings from mature plants will also root readily.
The species of plant has for long been refined for herbal medicines and as an ornamental plant. The extracts of it's roots and shoot is used against several diseases, though if consumed orally can be harmful as the roots also contain poison and it can be extremely toxic. Extracts from it have also been used against several diseases such as diabetes, malaria, and Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Wildlife
The world's main source of vanilla is almost 80% sourced from Madagascar, where it is produced and collected from many villages. Vanilla is grown on Madagascar and other tropical areas along the Indian Ocean. The majority of the world's vanilla is most commonly known as Bourbon vanilla or Madagascar vanilla. Vanilla is a flower of the orchid family, that needs the help of human hands to produce it's fruit, and each flower must be pollinated by hand.
The Catharanthus Roseus (Madagascar periwinkle) is a genus of eight species of herbaceous perennial plants, seven of them are native to Madagascar. This species of plant is self-reproduced from seeds, the seeds require a period of total darkness to germinate. Cuttings from mature plants will also root readily.
The species of plant has for long been refined for herbal medicines and as an ornamental plant. The extracts of it's roots and shoot is used against several diseases, though if consumed orally can be harmful as the roots also contain poison and it can be extremely toxic. Extracts from it have also been used against several diseases such as diabetes, malaria, and Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Wildlife
Three quarters of the animals that live in the jungles of Madagascar can't be found anywhere else in the world, as they are unusual rain forest creatures that add to Madagascar's uniqueness. There are various types of lemurs, birds, reptiles and amphibians within the forest.
Lemurs
There are a variety of lemurs in the jungles and the most endangered one is called the aye-aye, which is a nocturnal lemur who is not only endangered by habitat loss but also by local people as they are killed for being known as harbingers of bad luck. Other types of lemurs in the jungles would include the bamboo lemur which gets it's name from it's favorite food. They have short muzzles and small, round ears and usually live together in groups of 3-5. The red-ruffed lemur is one of the largest primates of Madagascar, their fur is a rusty red colour with black fur on the inside of their legs and tail as well as a white patch on the back of the neck. Red ruffed lemurs are very clean and spend a lot of time grooming themselves and each other, it also practices communal care of it's off-spring. The ring tailed lemur is another large primate of the lemuridae family and is the most recognized due to it's long black and white striped tail. The ring tailed lemur is highly social, living together in groups of up to 30 lemurs and is also female dominant.
Chameleons
Half of the world's chameleon population live in the jungles of Madagascar. They are generally known for their ability to change colour. For a chameleon the purpose of changing colours is to communicate with each other and protect themselves against predators by camouflaging into their surroundings. Colour change is also caused by a response to temperature, light and mood. Their eyes are separately mobile allowing them to focus on two things simultaneously and enabling them to see in almost a complete 360 degrees. Their tongues are highly modified and rapidly extrude and can be as long as their entire body.
Lemurs
There are a variety of lemurs in the jungles and the most endangered one is called the aye-aye, which is a nocturnal lemur who is not only endangered by habitat loss but also by local people as they are killed for being known as harbingers of bad luck. Other types of lemurs in the jungles would include the bamboo lemur which gets it's name from it's favorite food. They have short muzzles and small, round ears and usually live together in groups of 3-5. The red-ruffed lemur is one of the largest primates of Madagascar, their fur is a rusty red colour with black fur on the inside of their legs and tail as well as a white patch on the back of the neck. Red ruffed lemurs are very clean and spend a lot of time grooming themselves and each other, it also practices communal care of it's off-spring. The ring tailed lemur is another large primate of the lemuridae family and is the most recognized due to it's long black and white striped tail. The ring tailed lemur is highly social, living together in groups of up to 30 lemurs and is also female dominant.
Chameleons
Half of the world's chameleon population live in the jungles of Madagascar. They are generally known for their ability to change colour. For a chameleon the purpose of changing colours is to communicate with each other and protect themselves against predators by camouflaging into their surroundings. Colour change is also caused by a response to temperature, light and mood. Their eyes are separately mobile allowing them to focus on two things simultaneously and enabling them to see in almost a complete 360 degrees. Their tongues are highly modified and rapidly extrude and can be as long as their entire body.
Deforestation
The rain forests of Madagascar are under threat due to slash and burn agriculture and timber logging. The country's extreme poverty forces farmers to turn parts of the rain forest into rice fields and farming lands which eventually exhausts the soil of nutrients, leaving it with only shrub vegetation. The forest's trees supply precious hardwoods such as rosewood and ebony encourage illegal logging. Both of these have lead to a serious loss of animal habitat and biodiversity.
The rain forests of Madagascar are under threat due to slash and burn agriculture and timber logging. The country's extreme poverty forces farmers to turn parts of the rain forest into rice fields and farming lands which eventually exhausts the soil of nutrients, leaving it with only shrub vegetation. The forest's trees supply precious hardwoods such as rosewood and ebony encourage illegal logging. Both of these have lead to a serious loss of animal habitat and biodiversity.
Temperature/ weather/ climate
The climate in Madagascar is tropical with 2 seasons. The rainy season is from December - April and the rain forests receive between 12 and 340 inches of rainfall annually. The dry season is from May - November and average midday temperatures range from 25 degrees C in the highlands and 30 degrees C on the coast. Along the eastern coastal plains high humidity is tempered by almost constant ocean breezes.
The climate in Madagascar is tropical with 2 seasons. The rainy season is from December - April and the rain forests receive between 12 and 340 inches of rainfall annually. The dry season is from May - November and average midday temperatures range from 25 degrees C in the highlands and 30 degrees C on the coast. Along the eastern coastal plains high humidity is tempered by almost constant ocean breezes.
Sources
http://traveltips.usatoday.com/rainforest-madagascar-43243.html
http://www.air-mad.com/about_location.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wildlife_of_Madagascar
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanilla
http://www.givaudan.com/Fragrances/Innovative+Naturals/Ethical+Sourcing/Vanilla+Madagascar
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catharanthus
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catharanthus_roseus
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanilla
http://www.givaudan.com/Fragrances/Innovative+Naturals/Ethical+Sourcing/Vanilla+Madagascar
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catharanthus
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catharanthus_roseus
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