Chameleon Photograph by Giovanni Bludz.

Sifaka

Photograph by Hermann Erber/Photo Library

Ninety percent of the plants and animals found on the island of Madagascar evolved there and nowhere else. All of the country's 70-plus species of lemur—including this sifaka—are considered endangered. To help protect them and other unique species, the government has set aside more than nine million acres (3.7 million hectares) of land.

Malagasy Vendor

Photograph by Giuseppe Fallica, My Shot

This mother selling bananas and bread in the central-plateau region likely can trace at least part of her ancestry back more than 2,000 years to Indo-Malayan explorers, whom evidence suggests were the first people to reach the island. Archaeologists aren't sure whether they crossed the Indian Ocean or came overland to the east coast of Africa and then sailed from there.

Avenue of the Baobabs

Photograph by Jeremy Horner/Getty Images

Sparse branches that grow only at the tree’s top and look more like roots than canopy give the baobab its nickname: "upside-down tree." These smooth-trunked behemoths can reach 80 feet (24 meters) high and a stout ten feet (three meters) in diameter. Madagascar's Avenue of the Baobabs, in the Menabe region, is one of the island's most popular tourist destinations.

Madagascar Fody

Photograph by Zoltan Kovacs, My Shotfashioninn4us.blogspot.com

The brilliant red Madagascar fody thrives in nearly every ecosystem of the country. A gregarious species, it also has a voracious appetite—one that can anger Madagascar's rice farmers, who try to scare off the birds, trap them, and destroy their nests.

Nosy Be Island

Photograph by Giuseppe Fallica, My Shot

Nosy Be, which means "big island” in Malagasy, is Madagascar's largest island. Located about five miles (eight kilometers) off the country's northwest coast, this heavily forested volcanic outcrop, fringed with brilliant reefs and turquoise waters, is one of Madagascar's most popular tourist destinations.

Chameleon

Photograph by Giovanni Bludzin, My Shot

Nearly half the world's 103-plus known chameleon species live in Madagascar. These unique reptiles are a study in interesting adaptations, from their pincer-shaped feet and independently movable eyes to their extremely long tongues, which can be more than twice the length of their bodies. They also have the ability to change color, a response triggered more by temperature and mood than a need for camouflage.

Photograph by Giovanni Bludzin, My Shot

Nearly half the world's 103-plus known chameleon species live in Madagascar. These unique reptiles are a study in interesting adaptations, from their pincer-shaped feet and independently movable eyes to their extremely long tongues, which can be more than twice the length of their bodies. They also have the ability to change color, a response triggered more by temperature and mood than a need for camouflage.