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The last dugongs

Madagascar’s coasts are home to a secret that few travellers know about. Not only is the island itself a treasure trove of biodiversity, but the sea around it is home to particularly rare mammals: dugongs (Dugong dugon). They depend on seaweed for their entire lives In Madagascar, they are called lamboara or trozogno. The term “sea cows” goes back to …

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The scalloped hammerhead shark

They are feared in many places. They should be more afraid of humans than the other way round: hammerhead sharks are important predators in the Indian Ocean. Without them, the marine ecosystem around Madagascar would not function. A special representative of the hammerhead sharks is Sphyrna lewini, the scalloped hammerhead shark. The name says it all: the broad, hammer-shaped head …

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The Hawksbill Turtle

Once hunted for their tortoiseshell, now threatened with extinction Five species of sea turtles are found around Madagascar’s coasts and islands. One of the best known is probably the hawksbill turtle, Eretmochelys imbricata. It is most famous for its tortoiseshell, French caret, a term from the French Antilles. It refers to both the animal itself and the valuable tortoiseshell obtained …

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Whale Sharks – The Giants of the Seas

Until a few years ago, whale sharks, Rhincodon typus, had never been heard of in connection with Madagascar. Today Madagascar is the absolute insider tip for anyone who wants to experience whale sharks up close. The life of whale sharks is still almost unknown Whale sharks belong to the nurse sharks. This makes them the largest fish in the world. …

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