One of the most bizarre bugs of Madagascar can be found in the eastern rainforests. Due to its long neck, it is called a giraffe-necked weevil. At the top of the neck is the head which features two eyes and a pair of antennae that project out from it. Males have a much longer neck than females sometimes by three times as much.
Males have this longer neck for use in combat with other males. The isolation of the island of Madagascar has allowed unique species such as the giraffe weevil to evolve. A similar species is found in New Zealand though.
Raccoon Dog
Don't let this cute exterior fool you. While both dogs and raccoons are pretty used to living around humans, this creature is 100% a wild animal. Raccoon dogs live in the forests of East Asia and East Europe, where the locals call them by different names, such as neoguri, tanuki, or mangut.
These raccoon-looking wild dogs aren't usually seen outside of their lairs during the daytime. Nocturnal by nature, they prefer to wander around and hunt after the sun goes down.
Shoebill
This large stork-like bird gets its name from the shape of its beak. It sort of looks like a shoe. While it was known to ancient communities in Egypt and Arabia, the bird wasn't actually classified until the nineteenth century, by John Gould.
The bird's best-known feature is its distinctive bill, which they use to catch and hold on to large, slippery fish that they enjoy eating. The birds will stand in the water, motionless until their prey gets close enough. When the time is right, they will dive, or just fall, into the water with their bills open, ready to scoop up some dinner.
Labord's Chameleon
Madagascar is home to more than half the world's chameleons including the largest, the two-foot-long Parson's chameleon, and the tiniest, the Pygmy stump-tailed chameleon.
One of the most intriguing, though, is Labord's chameleon which inhabits the dry land in and around Kirindy Forest. What makes this animal remarkable is its 'live fast die young' life cycle of about 4-5 months, shorter than that of any other tetrapod.
Madagascar Leaf-nosed Snake
Snakes of the bizarre genus 'Langaha' are among the island's many impressive endemic creepy-crawlies. In the very distinctive Madagascar spear-nosed snake, males are yellow and tan, with a spear-shaped nasal appendage.
Females look like a different species altogether, greyish in color with a serrated, leaf-shaped nasal extension giving rise to the name 'Madagascar leaf-nosed snake'. Though they are venomous, their poison is not deadly to humans.