Zwergflusspferte, Elephant Birds, and Giant Lemurs from Madagascar
The Unique Fauna of Ancient Times
The unique fauna of Madagascar has lost all its large animals over the centuries. Giant lemurs (Megaladapis), elephant birds (Aepyornis), giant fossas (Cryptoprocta spelea), and dwarf hippos (Hippopotamus Madagascariensis and Hippopotamus Lemerlei) have fallen victim to the island’s colonization over the centuries. Due to no climatic changes
Changes since the Holocene on Madagascar are known, it is very likely that human settlement, which began about 1500 years ago, was responsible for the extinction of large animals on Madagascar.
Although there are still descriptions from Etienne de Flacourt from the 17th century indicating that there were hippos in Madagascar at that time, scientists believe they became extinct much earlier.
In the deep south of Madagascar, more precisely in an underwater cave located in the Tsimanampetsotsa National Park, about 2 years ago, the Australian diver living in Madagascar Ryan Dart Numerous skeletons of a wide variety of extinct animals have been found. A unique treasure for paleontologists from around the world, scientists from the National Geographic Society and the National Foundation for Science are exploring the site.
Surprisingly, a wide variety of skeletons of extinct animals from different time periods are found at the same location: four species of giant lemurs. Elephant birds, bats, horned crocodiles, and many of these skeletons are very well preserved. Usable DNA has also been extracted.
The Australian diver is convinced that beneath the sediment layer, there are still four to five meters deep of stacked bones and that the previous findings are just the tip of the iceberg. The site will be guarded until the start of a major international expedition planned in a few months.
The skull depicted apparently corresponds to the morphology of Hippopotamus Lemerlei, a species of dwarf hippos native to the south of Madagascar.
