Day 2

This morning we took our first rainforest photo trek. Parts of Analamazaotra Park were damaged in a cyclone in August, including one of the main bridges, so we had to enter the park from a side service road. As it happened we first heard and then found a troop of five Indri Indri lemurs. They are a highlight of the park and can only be found in this area. Indri Indri are the biggest lemurs and look a little like a tall black and white bear with brilliant aquamarine eyes. I have photographed them before from a distance and they are usually high in the forest canopy feeding on leaves. This was no different. Our group was excited to see and photograph them, even from a distance.

Soon one of our trackers told us they had found a group of four diademed sifaka lemurs close by. They are the most beautiful lemurs with a black face, gold and cream colored fur and burnt maroon eyes. They posed, played and fed around us for 20 amazing minutes before our tracker told us he had just found a family of three wooly lemurs. They were huddled together in the crook of a tree and allowed us to get some nice shots before we returned to the Indri Indri troop. This time they were feeding five to ten feet off the ground. It was a dream come true as we all got into position to photograph them feeding on giant leaves and relaxing in the tree branches.

After lunch we went to a different part of the rainforest for a macro trek. It began to rain as we approached the entrance shelter. While we waited for the rain to quit we photographed a tiny caterpillar. There were three boys just hanging out watching what we were doing, and then they ran into the woods and returned with chameleons, frogs, a leaf gecko, and an amazing larva that used deception as a defense. It raised its hind legs and buried its head in a tight arching movement. The brightly-colored hind legs looked like the head, while the drab head mimicked the back end. Predators will be more likely to attack the back end that masquerades as the head!

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