Blood Sucking Leeches of the Lost Forest of Madagascar with Mai Fahmy

Feb 5, 2024  10:30 - 11:15

(GMT -4:00) Eastern Time

Event URL:  https://www.exploringbytheseat.com/lesson/blood-sucking-leeches-lost-forest-madagascar-mai-fahmy/
Hosted by: Exploring By The Seat of Your Pants

I'm Mai! I am a scientist working to protect endangered animals in tropical rainforests. I use blood-sucking leeches to track endangered animals in Madagascar, where I spend hours hiking and collecting hundreds of leeches. Once the leeches are collected, I can analyze the DNA in their guts to learn which animals they’ve fed on, which tells me which animals live in those forests. In my current expedition, I am collecting leeches from a small, mysterious forest in Madagascar which scientists recently discovered contains animals from all throughout the island. This is unusual because Madagascar is one of the largest islands in the world and each region is home to very different, unique wildlife. In this mysterious “Lost Forest” as it's been called, villagers and scientists have discovered animals which we don’t expect to find in south-central Madagascar.