Hanging From the Tree Top on a String

One of the typical antipredatory strategies of small Calumma species such as C. hofreiteri, C. fallax, C. nasutum, C. pinocchio, C. glawi, C. gastrotaenia and others is to sleep on a vine or bamboo port hanging loosely from the tree canopy down. The line can be 1, 2 but even six meters long or more, and the animals hang in these lines while sleeping, frequently detected at night in exactly this suspended position.

The interesting issue is that to reach a point two meters above the ground, they must first climb six or even ten meters high. This reveals a frequent bias in field observations, where animals are detected only in lower strata up to six meters and assumed not to live higher. They do live higher, some predominantly so, but the density of foliage and their tiny size — supported by crypsis and by the fact that they climb above the twigs — makes them nearly impossible to see from below. They are there, high above, hanging from the canopy on a single line, while we walk under them unaware.