Day 10

The day started bright and early with a 6:00 breakfast so we would be ready when the Verreaux’s sifakas started to feed. They leave the forest and cross to the fruit trees to feed. When they cross open ground, they get up on their hind legs and move with a series of leaps that make it look like they are dancing. Our job is to find a group, figure out where they are heading, and get there before them. The challenge is finding a place that will show the behavior in good light, with an open background, and enough room for everyone to get the shots they want. That’s not too much to ask, is it? We had chances to photograph lemurs in the trees before they came down to the ground. The first lemur to dance headed across an open area and leaped into a fruit tree. We were able to get to the side of the fruit tree while the rest of the family gathered in the first tree.

Just as we got ready, the next lemur dropped to the ground and danced right at us. The sun was behind him and made for a perfectly back-lit subject. Each one of seven lemurs followed the exact same route, allowing for lots of chances and time to make any camera adjustments we needed. It was spectacular for everyone!

As it got hotter out, we went to the gallery forest for brown lemurs, white-footed sportive lemurs and hissing cockroaches (which are four inches long and really do hiss!). The sportive lemur lives in the hollow of a tree and just watched us as we photographed him. His perfect hollow, his smooth grey coat, and his maroon eyes made it a perfect photo shoot! But wait, there’s more…

After lunch we explored the spiny forest, an amazing place where every plant has spines and thorns but none of them are cactus plants — they are hardwood trees that are actually used for lumber. We found another sportive lemur and we are now two for two because this one was just as cute as the other, just in a different and equally cool setting. This photo day will never end!

We took a night hike in the spiny forest where we photographed sportive lemurs, mouse lemurs, nightjars, and chameleons. We stood in a forest glad and turned off the flashlights just to see the stars... breathtaking.

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