Few islands on Earth carry as much mystique as Madagascar – a place that has wildlife found nowhere else on the planet.
In our photo gallery, you'll meet some of Madagascar's most iconic (and unusual) residents, including the charismatic ring-tailed lemur, the operatic indri, the unforgettable aye-aye, and the powerful fossa, the island's elusive apex predator.
A group of ring-tailed lemurs at Berenty Reserve in southern Madagascar. Ring-tailed lemurs feed on the ground in groups of up to 30 individuals (Photo by Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images)Fossa lies on a branch in the trees of the Kirindi Forest Reserve near Morondava, Madagascar. Fossas are Madagascar's apex predator. They are elusive and difficult to spot (credit: Dario Endara / Getty Images)
Verreaux's sifaka jumping from tree to tree at Berenty Reserve in southern Madagascar. This lemur is renowned for its elegance – often seen leaping between trees (Photo by Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Female and colorful male panther chameleon at Mandraka Reserve near Moramanga, Madagascar. Contrary to popular belief, panther chameleons don't just change colour to camouflage into their backgrounds. While this is sometimes true, the primary role of the colour change is actually to do with social signalling and communication (Photo by Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Indri in the Perinet Reserve of Madagascar. Indris are the largest-living lemurs (Photo by Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images)The giraffe weevil, Perinet Reserve, Madagascar. Giraffe weevils are only found in the rainforest on the east side of Madagascar. The males fight for a female during mating season, using their necks (Photo by Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images)Verreaux's sifaka hopping sideways on the ground, holding their forelimbs up for balance, Berenty Reserve in southern Madagascar. This species is famous for its 'dancing', often seen hopping sideways with arms in the air (Photo by Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Fossas have a reputation as cunning and ferocious predators, and are masters of evading detection – so much so that relatively little is known about them (Photo by: Philippe Clement/Arterra/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)The world's largest nocturnal primate, the endangered aye-aye has particularly long middle fingers, which it uses to forage and seek out beetle larvae from wood (credit: Cagan Hakki Sekercioglu/Getty Images)
Ring-tailed lemur carrying baby at Berenty Reserve in southern Madagascar. Ring-tailed lemurs are only found in the south of the island (Photo by Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images)Verreaux's sifaka adult and baby at Berenty Reserve in southern Madagascar. The Verreaux's sifakas are a type of lemur, known as the 'dancers of the forest' (Photo by Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images)Male indri in the Andasibe-Mantadia National Park, Alaotra-Mangoro, Madagascar. Indris are renowned for their extraordinary, ear-splitting calls, which can carry up to 4km (Photo by: Arterra/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis) in the rainforests of Masoala, Madagascar. Aye-ayes are native and endemic to the island of Madagascar, not found anywhere else in the world (credit: Thorsten Negro/Getty Images)Ring-tailed Lemur troop on the move in the Berenty Private Reserve, Madagascar. Ring-tailed lemurs use their tails to flirt – they have glands on their wrist that they rub on their tails and waft in the air in a practice called 'stink flirting' (credit: Anup Shah/Getty Images)
Top image: Verreaux's sifaka. Credit: Anup Shah, Getty Images
