images: alamy; Daniel Austin
MADAGASCAR
slight movement and all at once its outline comes into focus. It’s huge — almost a foot long, I’d say. How had I missed that? No; more to the point, how on earth did Angeluc spot it in the first place? This master of disguise is one of the many true wonders of Madagascar, known as a leaf-tailed gecko and capable of blending into its background with consummate precision. By now we seem to be right upon the
cacophony, and it’s becoming even more unfathomable with each step. The sound has morphed into that of a congregation of cackling witches. I start going through all of the animals that I know make weird noises; hyenas, kookaburras, cicadas, koalas, but I can think of nothing that might live in a Malagasy rainforest and cause such a racket.
FRIVOLOUS FROGS As I’m beginning to plead with Angeluc for an explanation, yet another intriguing little forest dweller distracts me: a yellow
frog. Not just regular yellow but a vivid canary yellow. Think buttercups, bananas, Bart Simpson. This dazzling beauty jumps past my foot and, swiftly kneeling with my camera, I have time to take just one picture before it leaps away with determination. This is a frog on a mission. When I look up, Angeluc is beckoning
to me with a broad grin on his face. As I stand and take a few steps forward, he pulls back a branch to reveal a spectacular scene that renders me speechless. I’m staring into a forest clearing filled with large puddles of water. The din is deafening now, and the reason is obvious. Everywhere as far as the eye can see is a veritable carpet of buttercup-banana-Bart-Simpson frogs. There must be thousands, probably tens of thousands, jumping, splashing and croaking contentedly. Once I catch my breath, a closer look
reveals the reason for their fervor. Each frog is, in fact, a female with a male clinging onto her back (and, in several cases,
This dazzling beauty jumps past my foot and, swiftly kneeling with my camera, I have time to take just one picture before it leaps away.
Clockwise from above: Bright yellow frogs; birdwatching at Amber Mountain National Park
FALL 2023 • 35
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