Despite its short stature, it’s a strong and fast flier

Known for their vibrant colors, which can change rapidly in response to their environment, mood, or social interactions

Males sport a big, bumpy black “knob” on top of their bill — like a bird-sized bike helmet

With its leaf-like shape and still posture, it can be incredibly difficult to spot

With skin that looks just like lichen, moss, or tree bark

Ears? Not quite — but the name sticks

Spends most of its time on the ground, though it’s also capable of climbing when needed

The only primate besides humans known to consistently have blue eyes

A live emoji — can frown, yawn, and grimace!

Color coding? No problem!

Males and females are easy to tell apart, a rare among lemurs

One of the tiniest and most recently described members of the mouse lemur family

They flip the script — literally!

Despite its name, it is not a true civet

Often mistaken for a mongoose

One of the most widespread and adaptable herons in the world

A very capable walker and may travel long distances over land in search of new water bodies

One of the few bat species in the world known to use both echolocation and vision to navigate

Don’t change color just for camouflage — they also do it to communicate mood, health, and temperature

Believed to use Earth’s magnetic field to help them navigate vast ocean distances

Can amazingly leap almost 3 ft (91 cm) in the air

This bird taps its feet to imitate rain to make the prey reach the surface

This non-venomous snake is a key part of Madagascar’s wildlife, known for its excellent climbing skills and gentle temperament

Small and spiky but not a hedgehog, and definitely not a rat

A chameleon’s twist, with a rhino’s flair

African darters or ‘snakebirds’ are expert underwater fishermen equipped with stealth, diving skills, and a spear-like bill

Love to sunbathe in the mornings, often stretching out on branches to soak up the warmth of the sun

Famous for its incredible camouflage, which makes it look almost exactly like a dead leaf

Has the ability to produce a foul-smelling secretion from glands located near its eyes

Loud birds with a distinct three-note whistling sound

A fluffy, little bundle of sunshine hopping through the trees!

Mostly pale grey or white, but when the light hits just right, you’ll see a rosy-pink blush across their back and wings

Most common and widely distributed swallow globally

The loss of their homes, coupled with hunting for bushmeat, has pushed them to the brink of extinction

Its small horn-like bump on its nose helps differentiate it from similar chameleon species

The biggest of all the hammerhead sharks, with a massive head that looks like a giant, flat hammer

Meet the bamboo “pruner” of Madagascar

Popular food fish, prized for its mild flavor and firm texture

A champion swimmer and a social butterfly of the warm seas

They bob their heads up and down as they fly, which is actually how they earned the nickname “Noddy”

Known for their acrobatic leaps, twisting and turning gracefully as they jump completely out of the water

Often seen riding the bow waves of boats or performing acrobatic leaps out of the water

A ‘Critically Endangered’ expert fish hunter of Madagascar

Capable of making long leaps, thanks to their powerful hind legs

One of Madagascar’s most striking and colorful amphibians

Beautiful but toxic—not to humans though

Its subspecies “dilutus” is rare and likely near extinction

The only ibis species that is endemic to the island of Madagascar

An unrushed flyboy from Africa

Its large eyes are equipped with highly sensitive retinas, which allow it to see in low light conditions

Speed and power embodied, they rule the seas with their sleek bodies and jaw-dropping leaping prowess

Graceful and stealthy, these reef dwellers navigate the coral maze with finesse, showcasing their iconic black-tipped fins

Opportunistic predators of the open ocean, their aggressive and persistent feeding behaviour strikes fear into the hearts of their prey

Fearless and formidable, these aggressive predators command respect in the waters they roam

Gentle giants of the sea, with mouths wide open to filter the ocean’s bounty

Majestic ocean predators, embodying power, speed, and precision in their pursuit of prey

One of the largest and strongest sea turtles in the world

Its slender frame and narrow head bear a beak curved like a hawk’s, earning this marine marvel its name

As it grows older, it undergoes a metamorphosis that is nothing short of extraordinary

With a robust body adorned in iridescent hues of emerald and turquoise, it is an underwater jewel that dazzles the eye

Meet the world’s smallest mammal but a fierce predator

These gentle giants are making a big comeback and now there are lots of them to see and meet!

Their population distribution is often associated with human settlements as they are comfortable in both agricultural and urban habitats

An impressively acrobatic bird that can catch flying fish mid-jump

These birds spend weeks in the air and hunt, preen and even sleep while in flight

The most cosmopolitan of owls with home ranges extending across the globe

This species is found in all world oceans except the north Pacific Ocean

The humongous bird with the largest wing span of 3.5 m (11.5 ft) – seems straight out of a fantasy movie

This cute and small bird is one of the most elite hunters below the water’s surface

This bird holds a Guinness book of world records to its name

The iconic and elegant bird with a curved pink bill is known for turning heads

Professional marine forecasters to optimize breeding success and prey availability

They dance along with their gorgeous red tails to attract partners in a faithful courtship

These ocean wanderers can be spotted from a distance showing awe-inspiring aerial tricks

The hammerheads of the bird kingdom

These birds seem to have lost their way to the beauty pageant

This timid, dove-like bird is found only in the last remaining primary rainforests of Madagascar

Like its largely flightless sister species, white-breasted mesites make use of camouflage as their first line of defense

As its name implies, this species is adapted to the thorny desert thickets along the southwest coast of Madagascar

The Cuckoo Roller is seen as a good omen – particularly by couples in love!

Living around smelly brackish marshes is unthinkable, but these birds love their isolated habitat or don’t have a sense of smell

Native to Africa, it is the best-known bird of its family, broadly introduced as domesticated species

At the speed of over 321 km/h (200 mph), this bird outraces a Formula1 car

Endemic to the evergreen forests of Madagascar, widest-distributed of its family

As the name suggests, this whitish stork has a bright red face and a distinctively long yellow bill

One of the very few birds with an upturned bill

Elegant long-legged wader, common almost worldwide

This bird has learned how to use a spear and made it an extension of itself

This bird holds the record of the longest distance flown by any bird in recorded history

Looks no less than a renaissance masterpiece

The most elegant of all godwit species

Most common of right whales, cruising the southern oceans

Has extremely sensitive auditory senses that are capable of locating prey that is as small as a termite

Endemic to Madagascar and its apex predator

Highly recognizable lemur due to its black and white ringed tail

Thought to be extinct in 1933, it was rediscovered in 1957