Being separated from all other land masses since the late Cretaceous, when dinosaurs still dominated many parts of the Earth, Madagascar has long been referred to as a "natural laboratory of evolution". Its long isolation resulted in unique fauna and flora, most of which have evolved in place.
Madagascar only has four groups of endemic land mammals: primates (lemurs), rodents, Afrotheres (formerly insectivores such as tenrecs), and carnivores. Yet there's huge diversity within these four groups.
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