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Madagascar

Andriamamelo cave art panel. Madagascar cave art is leading to curious conclusions. Source: Author provided

Madagascar Cave Art Reveals Captivating Africa-Asia Connections

David Burney / The Conversation Unique, prehistoric rock art drawings have been discovered in the Andriamamelo Cave in western Madagascar. I was part of a team that discovered and described these...
Vanilla beans. Source: ankreative / Adobe Stock.

The Plight of Madagascar's Vanilla Farmers: A Battle Against Theft and Poverty (Video)

Vanilla, the second most expensive spice in the world, is worth its weight in gold . Its unique flavor and fragrance are highly sought after by chefs and food enthusiasts around the globe. However,...
Queen Ranavalona: Ruthless Ruler of Madagascar

Queen Ranavalona: Ruthless Ruler of Madagascar

Ranavalona was the 19th-century ruler of the Kingdom of Madagascar. She lived during a time when there was increasing contact between the island kingdom and Europeans. Ranavalona, however, pursued a...
The cave painting, believed to represent the now extinct giant sloth lemur, was discovered in the a limestone cave located in a nature reserve in western Madagascar. Source: gudkovandrey / Adobe Stock

Unique Painting of Extinct Giant Sloth Discovered in Madagascar Cave

A team of scientists exploring a cave in western Madagascar have discovered an ancient painting which they are calling the “only known drawing of an extinct giant lemur” that once lived in the island...
Fossil skeletal remains of the Adalatherium hui or the ‘crazy beast’, which was unearthed in Madagascar.       Source: (Marylou Stewart / Nature)

66-Million-Year-Old ‘Crazy Beast’ Fossil Discovered on Madagascar

In evolutionary terms, islands are the stuff of weirdness. It is on islands where animals evolve in isolation, often for millions of years, with different food sources, competitors, predators, and...
The archeological site of Antongona             Source: Photo by Tom Brouns

Antongona and the Mystery of the Early Madagascans

Madagascar is an island nation off the southeast coast of Africa and is most famous for its exquisite environment and unique wildlife, especially lemurs . It is the 4 th largest island in the world...
Giant elephant birds, once the largest birds in the world, may have coexisted with people for millennia.

Humans were Hunting the Largest Bird in the World on Madagascar 10,500 Years Ago

Analysis of elephant bird bones, once the largest bird in the world, has revealed that humans arrived on the tropical island of Madagascar more than 6,000 years earlier than previously thought. They...
Famadihana reburial, ‘turning of the bones’ in Madagascar

Plague Epidemic in Madagascar May be Spread by Dancing with the Dead Ritual

The Malagasy people of Madagascar have built a way of life around death – during the dry winter months, famadihana ceremonies, known as “the turning of the bones” and “dancing with the dead”, take...
A photo inside the Sunland Big Baobab.

Fancy Sipping a Pint in a 1700-Year-Old Tree? You Can at The Baobab Tree Bar

The Sunland Big Baobab is a bar nestled inside the hollow of a baobab tree. This bar is located on the Sunland Farm in South Africa. As baobabs begin to hollow on the inside as they age, empty...
50kg Silver Bar Found in Madagascar may be Treasure of Notorious Pirate Captain Kidd

50kg Silver Bar Found in Madagascar may be Treasure of Notorious Pirate Captain Kidd

Underwater explorers in Madagascar have made an incredible discovery – a 50 kg block of silver with inscriptions, which is now under armed guard on Sainte Marie island off the east coast of...
Cliffside tombs of the Tana Toraja

Five incredible funerary practices from the ancient world

Evidence for burial rituals has been found dating back 100,000 years and since then numerous examples of funerary customs have been from the ancient world, from Egyptian mummification to bodies...
Madagascar dance with the dead

Turning of the bones and the Madagascar dance with the dead

The Malagasy people of Madagascar have built a way of life around death – during the dry winter months, famadihana ceremonies, known as “the turning of the bones”, take place around various towns and...