The Trees like Nowhere Else
⎯⎯⎯
Back to the Wild

The Trees like Nowhere Else, also, Back to the Wild. . , The Trees like Nowhere Else , More than 8 out of every 10 plant species on Madagascar are unique to the island, and the diversity is striking. While all of Africa has one type of baobab tree, Madagascar has six, ranging in height from the top of a basketball hoop to a ten-story building., Above: As living Malagasy animals eat baobab fruit, scientists believe one of the extinct giant lemurs may have originally eaten the fruit and dispersed the seeds. Today, many baobab populations are threatened by human activity. Right, a ring-tailed lemur sunbathes while carefully balancing on a thorny branch in southern Madagascar's spiny forest., Back to the Wild , After a field study revealed the population of lemurs in the isolated Betampona Reserve was living on the edge of extinction, the Madagascar Fauna Group made history with the restocking of that reserve with black and white ruffed lemurs born in American zoos., Success in this project yielded better protection for the forest and its many creatures, as well as valuable research on many other fronts, including data that can benefit reintroduction efforts for other species around the world. , The hilly terrain of Madagascar's Reserve Naturelle Integrate de Betampona is now home to lemurs born in American zoos., One of the project's main goals was reached when lemurs were introduced, which produced offspring with wild lemurs.