14 Facts show that Madagascar is a universe apart (there, even rats jump at a meter high)

Madagascar is sometimes called the land of the lemurs. In fact, to the first Europeans who came to the island, these animals with luminous eyes looked terrifying. By observing its nocturnal life and its slow movements, the scientist Carlos Linneo recalled the legends of ancient Rome about the peaceless souls of the dead and named the animals in his honor: lemurs. Today we want to talk about other mysterious things that exist in Madagascar.

Incrível.club is convinced that this island, not yet fully explored, is a real treasure for miracle seekers. Here, spiders weave a golden net from which cloth can be made, sorcerers control people’s destinies, and nature’s surprises present incredible contrast and variety.

135 million years ago, the supercontinent of Gondwana split apart, separating South America and Africa into a part that includes India, Madagascar and Antarctica. AND about 88 million years ago, Madagascar broke away from India🇧🇷 Thanks to the long isolation, the flora and fauna of this island are completely unique.

Settlement of the island began approximately between the years 200 BC and 500 AD People arrived in Madagascar in kayaks from the Great Sunda Islands and particularly from the Island of Borneo. The new inhabitants cut and burned large areas of rainforest to grow edible plants.

Between the 7th and 9th centuries, Arab traders appeared on the island. Part of the population adopted Islam, writing and other elements of their culture. Some tribes do not eat pork, like Muslims.

Between the 10th and 11th centuries, migrants from Africa, who spoke Bantu languages, and merchants from India arrived in the territory of Madagascar. He was thanks to this last group that local cows (zebu) and rice appeared on the island.

Later, the Austronesians arrived in the region, which also caught the attention of European pirates, and the French turned it into a colony. From the latter, the local population inherited a love for baguettes and vanilla.

About 90% of all plant and animal species in Madagascar are found on this island alone. Because of this, some environmentalists call the place the eighth continent. Some animals actually look like creatures from another planet. Here there are animals as strange as the tenrecs and frightening creatures like the aye-aie, which with its long middle finger pulls insects from the bark of trees and, with it, straightens the fur.

Here, it’s not just snakes that hiss, but also huge cockroaches. And giant mice, up to 33 cm long, can jump to a height of 91 cm.

There are still golden silk spiders, the females of which reach about 12 cm with extended legs🇧🇷 The existence of this species was not known until the year 2000. Female golden silk spiders weave a network of golden webs over 1 m in length. This structure is quite strong, so it was even possible to produce a 3 m long golden cloth, which is kept in a museum.

Some of the residents of Madagascar put on their faces some colored drawings with white and yellow paint. This painting is made from the crushed bark of trees and is not for decorative purposes only. Its purpose is protect the skin from the sun and insects, mainly mosquitoes. This ink is also believed to improve the condition of the skin, serving as an analogue of face masks or creams.

Here there are red owls, iguanas, boa constrictors, many types of chameleons and lemurs and other rare animals. But there are no penguins, lions, hippos, zebras or giraffes. You will also not find elephants, hyenas, antelopes, rhinos, buffaloes, monkeys or camels.

The absence of these animals is explained in the same way as the presence of the unique species: the island’s centuries of isolation🇧🇷 Hippos were the only large mammals that made it to the site. Several species were derived from them but became extinct a long time ago.

Some of the Malagasy tribes (the main population of Madagascar) have a strange tradition. Once every 5 or 7 years, they take their dead relatives out of the crypts, put on a new shroud, and dance with them. The tradition, called Famadihana, or 🇧🇷the return of death”is based on the belief that the spirits of the ancestors will join their world after the complete decomposition of the body and the corresponding ceremonies.

To perform the rite, family members from across the country gather. During the time of Famadihana, Malagasy people enjoy themselves and make offerings to the dead: alcohol or money.

For the choice of the wedding day, the start of building a house and any other vital event, Malagasy people turn to a sorcerer: the ombiasy. It is also he who helps to determine if a couple is compatible and if the situation can change, performing the necessary ritual. The ombiasy are also healers, they know the properties of plants and they know how to care for the sick.

For the ritual of divination, sorcerers use corn kernels or fruit seeds. They also sell talismans from dried vegetables, animal teeth, or glass beads.

Madagascar’s landscapes are diverse and change at every step. There you can walk through the jungle and see baobabs with huge trunks. In some places, due to the presence of laterite, the soil acquires a red hue. Therefore, Madagascar is also called the Big Red Island.

On the island is also Lake Tritriva. They say he is “dead”, since no living thing inhabits it. It is believed that one cannot cross it. But in reality, everything is quite prosaic: the lake contains sulfur, the vapors of which are dangerous for humans.

And on the neighboring island, Nosy Be, on the shores of the Indian Ocean, there is a truly heavenly view: a white sand beach and palm trees.

One of the most impressive places in Madagascar is the stone forest of Tsingy de Bemaraha. Most are impassable for a person without special equipment, so these rocks have not yet been fully explored. Tsingy de Bemaraha is an inhabited place: there is a lot of vegetation and unique animals.

The inhabitants of Madagascar use the word “fady” to indicate a taboo about some action, behavior, or thing (animal, natural object, etc.) that is considered sacred. Malagasy people do not remember why so many “fadys” were born, but they honor the tradition.

Interestingly, the “fady” is different in the various tribes of Madagascar. Even the same family can have its own different “fady”🇧🇷 Among them are reasonable ones, like not swimming in a pond with crocodiles, and strange ones, like the “fady” to get medical help.

And in the southeast of the island live some tribes where women cannot keep their newborn twins. The inhabitants see in them something like an act of sorcery and an omen of bad luck. Therefore, babies had to be abandoned in the forest. If a woman did not get rid of the children, she was expelled from the village. Today, this practice is prohibited, although some traditional communities still do not comply with the ban.

There are also some “fady” that travelers should respect. For example, it is not recommended to point your finger at the graves of ancestors. They can only be aimed with a fist or the palm of the hand.

The Antemoro people produce paper in the same way as many centuries ago.

The population of Madagascar is very heterogeneous. There are 18 ethnic groups on the island. Everyone has their own dialect and their own traditions, national dress and beliefs.

The Famadihana ritual described above is characteristic of the Merina and Betsileo tribes, while others have their own rituals. For example, the Antandroy ethnic group has a much less dark, but at the same time radical, tradition: after the death of a person, the inhabitants eat all their livestock and burn their house. This is how they protect their tribe from persecution by the spirits of their ancestors.

In the Antemoro ethnic group, which is Muslim of Arab origin, there is a caste system. Antemoro people are still engaged in the production of handmade paper from the bark of mulberry trees. A factory can be visited free of charge and participation in the leaf production process is allowed.

Madagascar is among the poorest countries in the world. On average, Malagasy people earn about US$1 a day. Approximately 70% of people suffer from malnutrition. Of course, at this level of income, even buying a newspaper is an unattainable luxury. At the same time, people often spend more money on tombs than on their own homes, building them out of stone and adding ornaments. This is due to the fact that the Malagasy people have a strong ancestor worship.

For most islanders, the zebu ox is a sacred animal. It is not only used in everyday life, but also in many important rituals and celebrations. The young men of the Bara tribe, before asking a young woman to marry him, traditionally demonstrate their skill and courage by stealing a zebu. Now this often becomes a serious source of conflict.

However, one A much more effective version of young people’s courage, dexterity and strength is the Madagascar rodeo: the savika. Clutching his hands to the zebu’s hump, the young man tries to stay astride the enraged animal as long as possible.

A Malagasy separates the grains from the plant.

The joke “We live well until the Chinese realize that rice is just a garnish” is not a true reflection of reality. The truth is that the Malagasy consume much more rice than the Chinese: 120 kg per year against 77.

On the island, this product is consumed with every meal. For Malagasy, equivalent to bread. And even though the rice is very burnt,…