Megaladapis

Megaladapis is an extinct genus of three species of the so-called giant lemurs, which lived in the forests of central and western Madagascar. until recent times. About the size of an orangutan, these mammals were the largest that existed in historical times and one of the largest in the geological history of Madagascar. The exact date of its extinction is unknown, but there is enough evidence to assume that this animal still existed when the first Portuguese sailors arrived on the island of Madagascar in 1504.

Although they could climb trees, giant lemurs were predominantly terrestrial, moving on all fours along the jungle floor while feeding on abundant plant matter, mostly leaves. The body was very robust, with an estimated weight of almost 140 kilos. The brain was small compared to the rest of the body, and the skull elongated and curved slightly upward, more like a herbivore such as a horse or rhinoceros. The shape of the nasal bones suggests the presence of an elongated and mobile lip, or even a small proboscis, something unusual for a primate. Under the skull was inserted a jaw that was as robust as it was disproportionate, larger than that of the gorilla. It was equipped with robust molars and well-developed canines, probably used in fights for mates or territory with other members of its species. This dental apparatus bears similarities to that of the current genus Lepilemur.

Despite the short length of its legs (longer in the front ones), the fingers were very long, while the tail was reduced to a mere vestige. Locomotion, obligatory quadrupedal, was plantigrade.

In his Observations of the Natural History of Madagascar (1661), the French explorer Etienne de Flacourt mentions the existence of a large animal in Madagascar called by the natives tretretretre, which agrees with some of the data obtained from the study of the bone remains of Megaladapis. Flacourt describes it as follows:

Tretretre is a great animal, like a two-year veal, with a round head and a man's face. The later feet are similar to those of an ape, as well as the previous feet. He has curly hair, a short tail, and ears like a man's... He is a very lonely animal; the people of the country are very afraid and flee from him, as well as him from them.

However, although the creature Flacourt described was traditionally interpreted as a species of Megaladapis, more recent interpretations suggest that it is probably a species of Palaeopropithecus.

It is likely that hunting and the destruction of its habitat caused the extinction of the giant lemur. The traditional agriculture of Madagascar is inherited from that of Indonesia, homeland of the ancestors of the Malagasy, where large areas of forest are burned to fertilize the land with their ashes. This, which is to a certain extent permissible in Indonesia, destroys the forests of Madagascar, poorly adapted to this practice, are taking giant steps. A slow and probably territorial animal like Megaladapis would have difficulty adapting to such pressure. Its disappearance must have occurred at the end of the XVI century or the beginning of the XVII.

Species

• Megaladapis edwardsi
• Megaladapis madagascariensis
• Megaladapis grandidieri

Gallery

Images of Megaladapis

Skeleton Megaladapis edwardsi Transit M. madagascariensis. Skeleton M. grandidieri