An article was published in the journal Biological Reviews in which scientists from the University of Hong Kong and Temple University in Philadelphia offered an interesting explanation for the unique diversity of vertebrates on the island of Madagascar.
Three main scenarios for the settlement of Madagascar have been proposed, and the first of these suggests that the island broke away from the ancient supercontinent Gondwana, allowing endemic animals to evolve independently of other populations.
The separation began about 170 million years ago, and current understanding of the origin of extant species rules out this scenario for all but a few Madagascar species.
Another scenario suggests that there was a land bridge between Madagascar and Africa, which could have been created during periods of lower sea levels during ice ages or as a result of continental drift. For example, marsupials from Australia could cross onto the continent via Antarctica from South America.
The third version is that the animals could reach Madagascar by sea, swimming or traveling on pieces of wood. The researchers analyzed the paleontological data and concluded that the colonization of Madagascar occurred randomly, which confirms this version.
If there was a land bridge between Madagascar and Africa, then animals would arrive on the island in a more organized way. Tape.ru.
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