Aye-Ayes, Fossas and Fanalokas, Oh My! The Unique Wildlife of

Aye-Ayes , Fossas and
Fanalokas,
Oh My!
The Unique Wildlife of
Madagascar
With
James Herrera
June 8, 2016
7pm
As a follow up to James’ 2014 program about community conservation in Madagascar, tonight we will be
learning more about the wildlife of Madagascar! For example, did you know that the aye-aye, a bizarre
looking creature (lemur actually!) with a long, twig like middle finger, is considered bad luck to the local
people? Most people think of lemurs when they think of Madagascar (tonight we will learn just how many
species of lemurs there really are!), but have you ever heard of a fossa? What about a tenrec, fanaloka
or flying fox?
The island of Madagascar is home to a diverse array of life, more than 90% of which is endemic - only
found on Madagascar. The myriad ecosystems and long isolation of the island make it an unparalleled
living laboratory to study ecology and evolution. The multitude of co-existing species interact to form
complex ecosystems; for example, many tree species depend on the endemic primates- lemurs - to
disperse their seeds, and the endemic carnivores - such as the fossa - depend on lemurs as their main
food source. These links in the trophic chain are critical to proper ecosystem functioning, and high biodiversity makes ecosystems more resilient to disturbances, such as future climate change and habitat
loss. James will discuss some of the species of wildlife that call Madagascar home and how they are
connected to each other in this amazing petri dish of biodiversity.
James Herrera is a postdoctoral research fellow and Gerstner Scholar at the American Museum of
Natural History studying primate diversity and evolution. He received his Ph.D. in Anthropology from
Stony Brook University, NY (2015) after conducting field research in Madagascar to study the evolutionary and ecological dynamics of lemurs, the endemic primates. He received his Bachelor's degree from
the University of Miami, FL (2009) in Anthropology. Originally from Long Island, James has also enjoyed
exploring the biodiversity of New York and plans to tie his research interests in Madagascar with local
conservation issues in New York.
All meetings are free and open to the public!
Cold Spring Harbor Library, 95 Harbor Road (Rt 25A), Cold Spring Harbor
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