7 Vertebrates of Madagascar-Mid

Vertebrates of Madagascar FOCUS Question What makes Madagascar's vertebrates unique?

马达加斯加的脊椎动物焦点问题是什么让马达加斯加的脊椎动物如此独特?

Island of Treasures A place of wonder lies off the southeast coast of Africa. This place has forests and mountains. It has deserts and beaches. It is also home to many unusual animals. And new ones are being discovered all the time. Welcome to Madagascar, the fourth-largest island on Earth! Madagascar was once attached to Africa and India. Millions of years ago, a small piece of land broke away from these two large landmasses It became the island of Madagascar.

非洲东南海岸外有一个神奇的地方。 这个地方有森林和山脉。 它有沙漠和海滩。 它也是许多不寻常动物的家园。 而且一直都有新的发现。 欢迎来到马达加斯加，地球上第四大岛屿!马达加斯加曾经与非洲和印度接壤。 数百万年前，一小块陆地从这两块大大陆中分离出来，成为马达加斯加岛。

The animals living on the island became separated from those on the mainland. Over many years, these animals changed. They became adapted to the different environments on the island. Madagascar has been an island for a very long time. As a result, many of the animals that live there are endemic. This means they do not live anywhere else on Earth. Madagascar has over one thousand endemic vertebrates (see chart below). Read on to learn about some of them. Math Moment According to the table 1,248 vertebrate species lived in Madagascar in 2010. How many of these species can also be found in other places?

生活在岛上的动物与大陆上的动物分开了。 多年来，这些动物发生了变化。 他们逐渐适应了岛上不同的环境。 马达加斯加作为一个岛屿已经有很长一段时间了。 因此，生活在那里的许多动物都是地方性的。 这意味着它们不生活在地球上的任何其他地方。 马达加斯加有超过一千种特有的脊椎动物(见下图)。 继续往下读，了解其中一些。 根据表格显示，2010年马达加斯加有1248种脊椎动物。 这些物种中有多少还能在其他地方找到?

Marvelous Mammals Madagascar is home to many kinds of mammals. More than one hundred species of lemurs live on the island. Lemurs are primates—the group of mammals that also includes monkeys, apes, and humans. Tenrecs are another large mammal group on Madagascar. These mammals look like a cross between hedgehogs and shrews. About thirty species make their homes in many different habitats. Some live on the ground. Others live in burrows, trees, or water. Wowser Madagascar has over forty species of bats. The largest is the Madagascar flying fox. Its wingspan— over 1.2 meters (4 ft.)—is as wide as a large hawk's!

马达加斯加是许多种哺乳动物的家园。 岛上生活着一百多种狐猴。 狐猴是灵长类动物——包括猴子、猿和人类在内的哺乳动物。 Tenrecs是马达加斯加岛的另一种大型哺乳动物。 这些哺乳动物看起来像是刺猬和鼩鼱的混合体。 大约有30个物种在许多不同的栖息地安家。 有些人住在地上。另一些则住在洞穴、树上或水中。 马达加斯加有四十多种蝙蝠。 最大的是马达加斯加飞狐。 它的翼展超过1.2米(4英尺)，和大鹰一样宽!

Beautiful Birds Some of Earth's most unusual birds live in Madagascar. Cuckoo rollers have a large head and eyes set far back on their face. These birds are confusing to scientists because they have no close relatives. They may be the only surviving member of an ancient group of birds that died out everywhere else. Helmet vangas would be beautiful enough with just their black and rust-colored feathers. However, their huge blue bill gives them a striking appearance. Little is known about these shy birds. They often sit still in tall trees for long periods of time.

地球上一些最不寻常的鸟类生活在马达加斯加。 杜鹃鸟的头很大，眼睛长在脸的后面。 科学家们对这些鸟感到困惑，因为它们没有近亲。 它们可能是一种在其他地方都灭绝了的古老鸟类中唯一幸存的成员。 仅仅是它们黑色和铁锈色的羽毛就足够漂亮了。 然而，它们巨大的蓝色喙使它们的外表引人注目。 人们对这些害羞的鸟知之甚少。 它们经常长时间静静地坐在高高的树上。

Remarkable Reptiles Most reptile groups can be found in Madagascar. The island has lizards, turtles, snakes and even a type of crocodile. Many chameleon species live on the island. One kind is tiny. It is one of the smallest vertebrates in the world. Madagascar also has many gecko species. Giant leaf-tailed geckos can grow to 30 centimeters (1 ft.) or more in length. Leaf-nosed snakes are another unusual reptile. Their thin body allows them to hide among vines and branches. Males have a long pointed growth on their nose, while females have a flat, leaf-shaped one.

大多数爬行动物都可以在马达加斯加找到。 岛上有蜥蜴、乌龟、蛇，甚至还有一种鳄鱼。 许多变色龙品种生活在岛上。 一种是微小的。它是世界上最小的脊椎动物之一。 马达加斯加也有很多种类的壁虎。 巨型叶尾壁虎可以长到30厘米(1英尺)或更长。 叶鼻蛇是另一种不寻常的爬行动物。 它们瘦弱的身体使它们能够隐藏在藤蔓和树枝之间。 雄性的鼻子长得又长又尖，而雌性的鼻子则是扁平的叶状鼻子。