Madagascar - Mahajanga

Subfossils

This term refers, for Madagascar, to terrestrial animals (birds, mammals and reptiles) that have disappeared only a few centuries ago. The first Malagasy people encountered them and turned them into the fantastic animals of their legends. The first European explorers, like Etienne de Flacourt (1658) learned of the existence of these strange creatures. This was true of the “tretretretre” or “tratratratra” of Flacourt, which existed near Lake Lipomani in the Southeast. The animal was the same size as a two-year-old calf, and lived a solitary existence near a pond. For certain researchers, the description could match up with a Megaladapis or Archaeoindris.

The term subfossil is also used to find a difference with the fossils or bones that have undergone remineralisation (process by which fossilisation occurs).

With regards to Madagascar, this term refers to extinct animals of larger size than current animals. For example, in the Lemurian family, subfossils are larger than the current Indri, which weighs in at around 10 kg.

Microfauna Macrofauna

The term microfauna refers to animals weighing less than 1 kg, whereas macrofauna refers to animals weighing more than 1 kg.

Breccia

This term refers to the indurated sediments (calcite deposits by seepage) which are formed in karstic systems, like caves. The sediments are turned into rock and sometimes contain animal bone remains and snail shells.

Karst and karstic formations

The terms refer to all of the cavities or galleries that have formed through the effect of encasing limestone rock dissolution and encompass caves, shelters, avens, underground galleries, fissures, karrenfields, the Tsingy, etc.