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Central Highlands (Madagascar)
The Central Highlands, Central High Plateau, or Hauts-Plateaux are a mountainous biogeographical region in central Madagascar. They include the contiguous part of the island's interior above 800 m (2,600 ft) altitude. The Central Highlands are separated from the Northern Highlands of the northern tip of Madagascar by a low-lying valley, the Mandritsara Window, which has apparently acted as a barrier to dispersal for species in the highlands, leading to species pairs such as '' Voalavo gymnocaudus'' and '' Voalavo antsahabensis'' in the Northern and Central Highlands. Species restricted to the Central Highlands include the bats ''Miniopterus manavi'' and ''Miniopterus sororculus''; the rodents ''Brachyuromys betsileoensis'' and ''Voalavo antsahabensis''; the tenrecs ''Hemicentetes nigriceps'' and ''Oryzorictes tetradactylus''; and the lemur ''Cheirogaleus sibreei''. Because of the continuous habitat of the Central Highlands, there is little local endemism Endemism i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Landscape Madagascar 04
A landscape is the visible features of an area of land, its landforms, and how they integrate with natural or man-made features, often considered in terms of their aesthetic appeal.''New Oxford American Dictionary''. A landscape includes the physical elements of geophysically defined landforms such as (ice-capped) mountains, hills, water bodies such as rivers, lakes, ponds and the sea, living elements of land cover including indigenous vegetation, human elements including different forms of land use, buildings, and structures, and transitory elements such as lighting and weather conditions. Combining both their physical origins and the cultural overlay of human presence, often created over millennia, landscapes reflect a living synthesis of people and place that is vital to local and national identity. The character of a landscape helps define the self-image of the people who inhabit it and a sense of place that differentiates one region from other regions. It is th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brachyuromys Betsileoensis
The Betsileo short-tailed rat (''Brachyuromys betsileoensis'') is a species of rodent in the family Nesomyidae The Nesomyidae are a family of African rodents in the large and complex superfamily Muroidea. It includes several subfamilies, all of which are native to either continental Africa or to Madagascar. Included in this family are Malagasy rodents, .... It is found only in Madagascar. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and subtropical or tropical dry shrubland. References *Musser, G. G. and M. D. Carleton. 2005. Superfamily Muroidea. pp. 894–1531 ''in'' Mammal Species of the World a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reeder eds. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore. Betsileo short-tailed rat Betsileo short-tailed rat Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{muroid-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Geography Of Madagascar
Madagascar is a large island in the Indian Ocean off the eastern coast of southern Africa, east of Mozambique. It has a total area of with of land and of water. Madagascar is the fourth largest island and the 2nd largest island country in the world. The highest point is Maromokotro, in the Tsaratanana Massif region in the north of the island, at . The capital Antananarivo is in the Central Highlands near the centre of the island. It has the 25th largest Exclusive Economic Zone of . Madagascar is 400 kilometres (250 miles) east of mainland Africa. Geographical regions Madagascar can be divided into five general geographical regions: the east coast, the Tsaratanana Massif, the Central Highlands, the west coast, and the southwest. The highest elevations parallel the east coast. The total size is , which makes it the world's second largest island country. East coast The east coast consists of a narrow band of lowlands about fifty kilometers wide, formed from the sedimen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Biogeography
Biogeography is the study of the distribution of species and ecosystems in geographic space and through geological time. Organisms and biological communities often vary in a regular fashion along geographic gradients of latitude, elevation, isolation and habitat area.Brown University, "Biogeography." Accessed February 24, 2014. . Phytogeography is the branch of biogeography that studies the distribution of plants. Zoogeography is the branch that studies distribution of animals. Mycogeography is the branch that studies distribution of fungi, such as mushrooms. Knowledge of spatial variation in the numbers and types of organisms is as vital to us today as it was to our early human ancestors, as we adapt to heterogeneous but geographically predictable environments. Biogeography is an integrative field of inquiry that unites concepts and information from ecology, evolutionary biology, taxonomy, geology, physical geography, palaeontology, and climatology.Dansereau, Pierre. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Natural Regions
A natural region (landscape unit) is a basic geographic unit. Usually, it is a region which is distinguished by its common natural features of geography, geology, and climate. From the ecological point of view, the naturally occurring flora and fauna of the region are likely to be influenced by its geographical and geological factors, such as soil and water availability, in a significant manner. Thus most natural regions are homogeneous ecosystems. Human impact can be an important factor in the shaping and destiny of a particular natural region. Main terms The concept "natural region" is a large basic geographical unit, like the vast boreal forest region. The term may also be used generically, like in alpine tundra, or specifically to refer to a particular place. The term is particularly useful where there is no corresponding or coterminous official region. The Fens of eastern England, the Thai highlands, and the Pays de Bray in Normandy, are examples of this. Others might inc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Endemism
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, the Cape sugarbird is found exclusively in southwestern South Africa and is therefore said to be ''endemic'' to that particular part of the world. An endemic species can be also be referred to as an ''endemism'' or in scientific literature as an ''endemite''. For example '' Cytisus aeolicus'' is an endemite of the Italian flora. '' Adzharia renschi'' was once believed to be an endemite of the Caucasus, but it was later discovered to be a non-indigenous species from South America belonging to a different genus. The extreme opposite of an endemic species is one with a cosmopolitan distribution, having a global or widespread range. A rare alternative term for a species that is endemic is "precinctive", which appli ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cheirogaleus Sibreei
Sibree's dwarf lemur (''Cheirogaleus sibreei'') is a small nocturnal lemur endemic to Madagascar. The name of this dwarf lemur commemorates the English missionary and naturalist James Sibree (1836–1929). In 2010, a research team confirmed that they had found the only known living population of Sibree's dwarf lemurs several years before. The species was long believed extinct, following the destruction of its first recorded forest habitat. This was also the first confirmation of Sibree's dwarf lemur as a unique species. * Sibree's dwarf lemur spends the winter by hibernating Hibernation is a state of minimal activity and metabolic depression undergone by some animal species. Hibernation is a seasonal heterothermy characterized by low body-temperature, slow breathing and heart-rate, and low metabolic rate. It most ... 10 to 40 cm underground in small burrows. This keeps body temperature steady at around 15 °C and possibly provides protection from predators. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oryzorictes Tetradactylus
The four-toed rice tenrec (''Oryzorictes tetradactylus'') is a species of mammal in the family Tenrecidae. It is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical shrubland, grassland, and moist forests, and swamps. References Afrosoricida Mammals of Madagascar Fauna of the Madagascar subhumid forests Mammals described in 1882 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{afrosoricida-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hemicentetes Nigriceps
The highland streaked tenrec (''Hemicentetes nigriceps'') is an insectivore which lives in the central upland regions of Madagascar. Its black and white striped body is covered with quills, which it will raise when agitated. The spines detach and remain in the body of an inquisitive predator. The function of the black-and-white pattern may be to mimic juvenile ''Tenrec ecaudatus'' since the parents of this species are known to be aggressively protective, and the stripes may have developed as a type of camouflage while foraging. The highland streaked tenrec uses its long snout to burrow under leaves and bark, searching for earthworm An earthworm is a terrestrial invertebrate that belongs to the phylum Annelida. They exhibit a tube-within-a-tube body plan; they are externally segmented with corresponding internal segmentation; and they usually have setae on all segments. Th ...s, its primary food. References * {{Taxonbar, from=Q1762455 Endemic fauna of Madagascar Mammals ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Miniopterus Sororculus
''Miniopterus sororculus'' is a species of bat endemic to the highland forests of Madagascar. Taxonomy The description of ''Miniopterus sororculus'' was published in 2007, in a revision of the specific status of specimens previously identified as '' Miniopterus fraterculus''. The holotype and paratypes were collected by the lead author of the study, Steven M. Goodman, at Province de Fianarantsoa, in a cave south of Ambatofinandrahana, with other specimens collected to the north and south of that location being referred to the new species. The etymology of the specific epithet ''sororculus'', little sister, was proposed as a reference to its former placement with the species ''M. fraterculus'', derived from Latin to mean little brother. The authors also note the allusion to a species a little smaller than the related and sympatric Malagasy bat '' Miniopterus majori''. The vernacular includes those names referring to ''M. fraterculus'' and the English common name Sororcula long-f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Biogeography
Biogeography is the study of the distribution of species and ecosystems in geographic space and through geological time. Organisms and biological communities often vary in a regular fashion along geographic gradients of latitude, elevation, isolation and habitat area.Brown University, "Biogeography." Accessed February 24, 2014. . Phytogeography is the branch of biogeography that studies the distribution of plants. Zoogeography is the branch that studies distribution of animals. Mycogeography is the branch that studies distribution of fungi, such as mushrooms. Knowledge of spatial variation in the numbers and types of organisms is as vital to us today as it was to our early human ancestors, as we adapt to heterogeneous but geographically predictable environments. Biogeography is an integrative field of inquiry that unites concepts and information from ecology, evolutionary biology, taxonomy, geology, physical geography, palaeontology, and climatology.Dansereau, Pierre. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Miniopterus Manavi
The Manavi long-fingered bat (''Miniopterus manavi'') is a bat in the genus '' Miniopterus'' that occurs in east-central Madagascar. First described in 1906, this species was later included in the mainland African '' M. minor''. A 1995 revision united populations of small ''Miniopterus'' from Madagascar and the Comoros as ''M. manavi'', but molecular and morphological studies in 2008 and 2009 showed that this concept of ''M. manavi'' in fact included five different species. ''M. manavi'' itself was restricted to a few locations in the eastern Central Highlands and populations in the Comoros and northern and western Madagascar were allocated to different species. ''Miniopterus manavi'' is a small, blackish or reddish-brown ''Miniopterus''; its forearm length is . The tragus (a projection in the outer ear) is narrow and ends in an angular tip. The uropatagium (tail membrane) is well-furred and the palate is flat. Taxonomy ''Miniopterus'', a widespread genu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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