


There are a number of canyons with creeks although the surrounding grassy savanna is much drier. The water flow from the creeks provides water for the adjacent rice fields.

Okay, I promised you boas so I won't put them off to the end of the narrative like I did with the other snakes in Parts 1 and 2. What do you expect from a lizard guy?
Our national park guide went off on his own into the forest looking for good herps for me to shoot while I looked for "stuff" along a creek. He didn't disappoint as he soon found an impressive Madagascar Tree Boa, Sanzinia madagascariensis volontany.


But wait, there's more! If the fantastic Tree Boa wasn't good enough we also came across a ground boa, Acrantophis dumerili, in the road as we were leaving the park at nightfall.


Now that I got the big snakes out of the way here is a look at the smaller but equally impressive snakes seen in Isalo. Madagascarophis colubrinus was well-behaved for the photo session and didn't attempt to turn tail and run.



I only photographed on other species of snake, the obligatory Mimophis mahfalensis.

As to chameleons, Furcifer oustaleti were found on trees at the interface between the mountains and the savanna as we walked back to our car.




Male Furcifer lateralis are green with a whitish lateral stripe. The casque is much smaller than F. oustaleti.


Female Furcifer lateralis are strikingly colored compared to the drab green males.

Nocturnal Geckos:
Paroedura bastardi which is easily distinguished by the presence of two transverse bands from P. picta, which has four diagonal bands on its body.


Paroedura picta


I am not sure of this species of Lygodactylus. My best informed opinion is L. tuberosus.

Day geckos:
Phelsuma hielsheri has a limited distribution which includes Isalo national Park. Unfortunately this individual never brightened up from its subdued dark coloration.

Phelsuma mutabilis was found at the beginning of the trail leading into a canyon.

I got lucky and found a member of the Gerrhosauridae family, Zonosaurus ornatus near a creek. It is a particularly colorful species with two yellow dorsolateral stripes bordered on each side by two black stripes.

Skinks:
Trachylepis gravenhorstii is a common skink that I found at many of the locations that we visited in Madagascar. It has a wide black stripe bordered ventrally by a white stripe on its flanks.



Iguanids:
Oplurus cyclurus

Hey, what about the frogs? As I mentioned above, creeks in the canyons and irrigated rice fields at the base of the mountains provide water. Just add frogs. I must admit I had great difficulty in identifying many of the specimens that we encountered. Please inform me if I have made mistakes.
Heterixalus luteostriatus. Don't you just love those blue eyes?


Boophis doulioti

Boophis occidentalis


Mantidactylus species??

Mantidactylus sp. aff. ulcerosus "Isalo" ?

Frog Identification??

Frog identification??

Laliostoma labrosum

That's all for the herps of Isalo National Park. I will post pics of the invertebrates, lemurs, and birds in a separate post for those interested. Some of the insects are incredible.