The Unique Mammals of Madagascar

Please enjoy this episode focusing on the often overlooked small endemic mammals of Madagascar, including the Nesomyid rodents and the Afrotherian Tenrecs. https://www.patreon.com/c/DrPolaris Sources used for this video: Ali, J. R.; Huber, M. (2010-01-20). "Mammalian biodiversity on Madagascar controlled by ocean currents". Nature. 463 (4 Feb. 2010): 653–656. Bibcode:2010Natur.463..653A. doi:10.1038/nature08706. PMID 20090678. S2CID 4333977. Asher, R.J.; Hofreiter, M. (2006). "Tenrec phylogeny and the noninvasive extraction of nuclear DNA". Systematic Biology. 55 (2): 181–194. doi:10.1080/10635150500433649. PMID 16522569. Endo, H.; Oishi, M.; Yonezawa, T.; Rakotondraparany, F.; Hasegawa, M. (December 2007). "The Semifossorial Function of the Forelimb in the Common Rice Tenrec (Oryzorictes hova) and the Streaked Tenrec (Hemicentetes hemispinosus)". Anatomia, Histologia, Embryologia. 36 (6): 413–418. doi:10.1111/j.1439-0264.2007.00792.x. PMID 18021349. S2CID 28202202. Everson, K. M.; Soarimalala, V.; Goodman, S. M.; Olson, L. E. (2016). "Multiple Loci and Complete Taxonomic Sampling Resolve the Phylogeny and Biogeographic History of Tenrecs (Mammalia: Tenrecidae) and Reveal Higher Speciation Rates in Madagascar's Humid Forests". Systematic Biology. 65 (5): 890–909. doi:10.1093/sysbio/syw034. PMID 27103169. Goodman, S.M.; Rakotondravony, D.; Randriamanantsoa, H.N.; Rakotomalala-Razanahoera, M. (2005). "A new species of rodent from the montane forest of central eastern Madagascar (Muridae: Nesomyinae: Voalavo)". Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 118 (4): 863–873. doi:10.2988/0006-324X(2005)118[863:ANSORF]2.0.CO;2. Jansa, Sharon A; Voahangy Soarimalala, Steven M. Goodman and F. Keith Barker (2008). "Morphometric variation and phylogeographic Structure in macrotarsomys bastardy (rodentia: nesomyidae), an endemic Malagasy dry forest rodent". Journal of Mammalogy. 89 (2): 316–324. doi:10.1644/07-MAMM-A-029R.1. Kennerley, R. (2016). "Brachytarsomys albicauda". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016 e.T2991A22237052. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T2991A22237052.en. Retrieved 10 April 2026. Kennerley, R. (2016). "Brachyuromys betsileoensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016 e.T2997A22234256. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T2997A22234256.en. Retrieved 10 April 2026. Kennerley, R. (2016). "Nesomys rufus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016 e.T14671A22237658. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T14671A22237658.en. Retrieved 10 April 2026. Michaux, Johan; Reyes, Aurelio; Catzefelis, François (November 2001). "Evolutionary history of the most speciose mammals: molecular phylogeny of muroid rodents". Molecular Biology and Evolution. 18 (11): 2017–2031. doi:10.1093/oxfordjournals.molbev.a003743. PMID 11606698. Poux, C.; Madsen, O.; Marquard, E.; Vieites, D. R.; de Jong, W. W.; Vences, M. (2005). "Asynchronous colonization of Madagascar by the four endemic clades of primates, tenrecs, carnivores, and rodents as inferred from nuclear genes". Systematic Biology. 54 (5). Oxford University Press: 719–730. doi:10.1080/10635150500234534. hdl:2066/33251. PMID 16243759. Poux, C.; Madsen, O.; Glos, J.; de Jong, W. W.; Vences, M. (2008). "Molecular phylogeny and divergence times of Malagasy tenrecs: Influence of data partitioning and taxon sampling on dating analyses". BMC Evolutionary Biology. 8 (1): 102. Bibcode:2008BMCEE...8..102P. doi:10.1186/1471-2148-8-102. PMC 2330147. PMID 18377639. Sommer, S.; Toto Volahy, A.; Seal, U. S. (November 2002). "A population and habitat viability assessment for the highly endangered giant jumping rat (Hypogeomys antimena), the largest extant endemic rodent of Madagascar". Animal Conservation. 5 (4). Zoological Society of London: 266. Bibcode:2002AnCon...5..263S. doi:10.1017/S1367943002004018. ISSN 1367-9430. S2CID 83588692. Stephenson, P.J.; Soarimalala, V.; Goodman, S. (2016). "Geogale aurita". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016 e.T9048A97188944. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T9048A97188944.en. Retrieved 10 April 2026. Stephenson, P.J.; Soarimalala, V.; Goodman, S. (2016). "Microgale longicaudata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016 e.T13344A97200213. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T13344A97200213.en. Retrieved 10 April 2026. Tabuce, R.; Marivaux, L.; Adaci, M.; et al. (2007). "Early tertiary mammals from North Africa reinforce the molecular Afrotheria clade". Proceedings of the Royal Society B. 274 (1614): 1159–1166. doi:10.1098/rspb.2006.0229. PMC 2189562. PMID 17329227. Wilmet, L.; Volahy, A.; Hudson, M. (2022). "Hypogeomys antimena". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2022. Retrieved 10 April 2022.