insect 2

As i lifted a log up to carry to the fire aa bunch of these scattered from a log. The Madagascar hissing Cockroach (Gromphadorhina portentosa), also known as the Hissing Roach or simply Hisser, is one of the largest species of cockroach, reaching 2–4 inches at maturity. They are from the island of Madagascar off the African coast, where they can be found in rotting logs.
Unlike most cockroaches, they are wingless. They are excellent climbers and can scale smooth glass. Males can be distinguished from females by their thicker, hairier antennae and the pronounced "horns" on the pronotum. Females carry the ootheca (egg case) internally, and release the young nymphs only after the eggs have hatched. As in some other wood roaches, the parents and offspring will commonly remain in close physical contact for extended periods of time. In captivity, these insects can live 5 years. They feed primarily on vegetable material.

the comet moth

As i was waking, i saw this big bug on my misqetoe net. The Comet moth (Argema mittrei) or Madagascan moon moth^[is an African moth, native to the rain forests of Madagascar. The male has a wingspan of twenty centimeters and a tail span of fifteen centimeters, making it one of the world's largest silk moths. The female lays from 120-170 eggs, and after hatching the larvae feed on Eugenia and Weinmannia leaves for approximately two months before pupating. The cocoon has numerous holes to keep the pupa from drowning in the daily rains of its natural habitat. The adult moth cannot feed and only lives for 4 to 5 days. Although endangered in the wild due to habitat loss, the Comet moth is being successfully bred in captivity.

bird 4

as i was going back to camp picking up small twigs for a fire starter i saw this bird building its nest. The Crossley's Babbler (Mystacornis crossleyi), also known as Crossley's Babbler-vanga or Madagascar Groundjumper is a bird species in the family Vangidae. It is in the monotypic genus Mystacornis. The species was once placed in the Old World babbler family Timaliidae and its position with the vangas is still not universally accepted. It is endemic to Madagascar. It is distributed in the east of Madagascar in broadleaf forest, from sea level up to 1800 m.

Crossley's Babbler is a small babbler-like bird, 15 cm long and weighing around 25 g. Its most distinctive feature is the olive-grey bill, which is disproportionately long and slightly hooked at the end. The plumage of the male is olive green on the crown, back, wings, tail and flanks, a grey belly, black throat and face, with a white submoustachial stripe and grey stripe above the eye. The legs are grey and the iris black. The female is similar but with a white throat and belly.

The Crossley's Babbler forages singly or in pairs. It is a terrestrial bird that feeds on the ground on spiders, cockroaches, earwigs, true bugs, grasshoppers and ants. It rarely flies but instead walks and runs and probing its bill into leaf-litter, mosses, and soil.

The breeding season for this species is from August to November. The male builds a shallow cup nest of twigs and rootlets ina tree or other vegetation around 1.5 m off the ground. Two to three eggs are laid and incubated by both sexes.

bird 3

as i was walking to discover new land, i was chopping a tree down when i heard the call from this bird. this was called a Black-headed Heron. the Black-headed Heron (Ardea melanocephala) is a wading bird of the heron family Ardeidae, common throughout much of sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar. It is mainly resident but some west African birds move further north in the rainy season.
This species usually breeds in the wet season in colonies in trees, reedbeds or cliffs. It builds a bulky stick nest and lays 2–4 eggs.
It often feeds in shallow water, spearing fish, or frogs with its long, sharp bill. It will also hunt well away from water, taking large insects, small mammals, and birds. It will wait motionless for prey, or slowly stalk its victim.
The Black-headed Heron is a large bird, standing 85 cm tall, and it has a 150 cm wingspan. It is nearly as large as the Grey Heron, which it resembles in appearance, although it is generally darker. Its plumage is largely grey above, and paler grey below. It has a powerful dusky bill.
The flight is slow, with its neck retracted. This is characteristic of herons and bitterns, and distinguishes them from storks, cranes, and spoonbills, which extend their necks. The white underwing coverts are striking in flight.
The call is a loud croaking.

Bird 2

When i was trying to climb a tree so i could find some fruits I stumbled upon this odd looking bird. The diet of the Cuckoo-roller is not well known, but a 1931 expedition found that chameleons and insects, particularly locusts and caterpillars are important food items. Stomach have often been found lined with the hairs of caterpillars, and other prey taken include grasshoppers, cicadas, stick insects and geckos. The principal foraging technique is to perch motionless watching for prey, then to make a quick sally towards the prey when observed. They will also forage from the air. Prey is caught in the large bill and dispatched by beating it against a branch. Males have a mostly velvety grey chest and head, changing gradually to white on the remaining underparts (demarcation between grey and white stronger in L. d. gracilis). The back, tail, and wing-coverts are dark iridescent green with a purplish tinge (especially on the wing-coverts), and the crown and eye-stripe are black. Females are mostly brown with strongly dark-spotted pale underparts (less spotting in L. d. gracilis). Juveniles are generally reported as resembling a dull female, but at least juveniles of L. d. gracilis are sexually dimorphic, and it is possible this also applies to the other subspecies.The bill is stout and the eyes set far back in the face. The legs and feet are small, and the feet have an unusual structure which has confused many ornithologists, but is now thought to be zygodactylous

Bird 1

As i was chillin in my hut, i heard a loud bird call. i looked into the trees to see a Branded Kestrel. It is 27–30 cm long with a wingspan of 60–68 cm. The upperparts are grey and the tail is dark. The underparts are whitish with dark grey streaks on the throat and upper breast and dark grey barring on the lower breast and belly. The feet, eyes and cere are yellow and there is bare yellow skin around the eye. Juvenile birds are browner than the adults with darker eyes and less bare skin around the eye.

It is fairly common in the southern and western parts of Madagascar but more local in the north and east and absent from the central plateau. It occurs from sea-level up to 2000 metres. It inhabits clearings and edges in forest and woodland.It rarely hovers, preferring to hunt from a perch. It feeds on small reptiles such as chamaeleons and day geckos, large insects such as grasshoppers and beetles and occasionally on birds. Prey is caught on the ground or snatched from a branch or tree trunk.

Mammal 4

When i was walking through the woods to collect some fire wood, i found this guy. It has a head-body length of 42-50 cm and a tail length of 50-60 cm. The total mature length (including tail) is approximately 93 to 110 cm. Adult body mass is typically around 4 kg. The dorsal pelage and tail are white, with maroon patches on the chest and portions of the limbs. The coat is generally dense. Its face is bare and black except for a distinctive patch of white fur along the bridge of the nose. Its naked ears are also black, and its eyes are yellow or orange
Coquerel's Sifaka has an herbivorous diet that varies by season. In the wet season, it eats immature leaves, flowers, fruit, bark, and dead wood. In the dry season, it eats mature leaves and buds. It may browse nearly 100 different plant species, but the majority of its feeding time will be concentrated on about 10% of these.