Split from the African continent over 160 million years ago, Madagascar developed its own distinct ecosystems and extraordinary wildlife. Most of its reptiles, plants and land mammals exist naturally nowhere else on Earth.
From 1999 to 2010, 615 new species were discovered in this island country. These new discoveries reinforce Madagascar’s standing as one of the Earth’s richest tropical habitats, but many are already endangered.
The WWF report entitled “Treasure Island: New Biodiversity in Madagascar”, lists the new species which include an incredible 385 plant species, 41 mammals, 61 reptiles, 69 amphibians, 17 fish and 42 invertebrates.
Among the exciting finds are 28 previously unknown lemurs, including the tiny Madame Berthe’s mouse lemur, which is believed to be the smallest primate in the world. The newly described reptiles include a colourful snake (Liophidium pattoni), the perfectly camouflaged cork bark leaf-tailed gecko (Uroplatus pietschmanni), and eleven new chameleons. Scientists also discovered an amazing colour-changing gecko (Phelsuma borai), which can turn from a camouflaged grey-brown to bright blue during courtship.
The large number of new plant species includes a massive fan palm, the Tahina palm or ‘dimaka’, which flowers only once before dying. Other discoveries include Komac’s golden orb spider (Nephila komaci), one of the largest web-spinning spiders in the world.
As well as highlighting Madagascar’s great diversity, the report also warns of the threats to its unique wildlife. Many of the island’s newly discovered species are already at risk of extinction, with deforestation identified as the most significant threat.
WWF is working to establish a network of protected areas across Madagascar, and is promoting sustainable livelihood alternatives to support both local people and conservation.
“We blithely think that we have a really good understanding of the natural world and what’s there, but the fact that we can go out to these places and find, on a regular basis, new species suggests that we don’t know the world half as well as we think,” said Mark Wright, Conservation Science Advisor at WWF-UK. “That reinforces our desire to protect it because what we don’t want to do is destroy these places before we even recognise it existed there.”
View the photo gallery of these recently discovered species and find out why it’s critical to protect the country’s ecosystems.
Read the WWF report – Treasure Island: New Biodiversity in Madagascar.
View photos and videos of species from Madagascar on ARKive.
Learn about the unique species and ecosystems of the region through the eyes of wildlife photographer, conservationist, documentarian and for the BBC series “Wild Madagascar” Nick Garbutt.

Inga Yandell
Explorer and media producer, passionate about nature, culture and travel. Combining science and conservation with investigative journalism to provide resources and opportunities for creative exploration.