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Madagascar's strange and wonderful sights
"60 Minutes goes to extreme lengths to get stories," says producer Andrew Metz. "And you expect that-- you expect that if it's on 60 Minutes, that they really do go to the ends of the Earth."
This week on the broadcast, Metz did just that. He convinced correspondent Lesley Stahl to put on some hiking boots and go exploring in Madagascar.
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An island off the coast of Africa, Madagascar is a biodiversity hotspot. The lemurs, chameleons, geckos, frogs, even the mammals that exist there have a little twist, says Metz. "Something a little different about them."
Madagascar drifted away from other continents early, about 160 million years ago. Evolving in isolation, an estimated 80 percent of the plants and animals there are found nowhere else in the world.
"In a way, it's like another planet, says Metz. "When you look at some of these animals, you think, "Oh my gosh, did someone draw that and then it just came to life?" The species on the island have been compared to the illustrations of Dr. Seuss and the bizarre patrons in Star Wars' famous cantina scene.
For a look at the strange and wonderful sights of Madagascar, click on the video above.
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