The aye-aye is considered by many to be the strangest looking primate. They have thick dark brown to black fur,
sparse white hairs on top of their coat, huge ears, round eyes, and bony hands. Aye-ayes are the biggest nocturnal
primate at about 38 cm (or 15 inches) long, but this doesn't include their bushy tail, which is longer than their
body. They also sport forever growing incisors, which is a rodent-like feature. Perhaps the most note-worthy part
of the aye-ayes appearance is their long and bony middle finger.
Diet and Habitat
The aye-aye uses their middle finger for percussive foraging. This sensitive finger taps rapidly on the branches
the aye-aye walks across while the aye-aye cups its ears to listen for hollow holes. When they find a hollow
section of a branch, they rip off the outer bark with their teeth. They then use their middle finger to hook
out insect larvae. Besides grub, aye-aye like to eat seeds, fungai, and fruit, including coconut, mango, and
lychee. While aye-aye might locate near agricultural villages with access to fruit, they usually live in the
rainforests of Madagascar, the only country they are found in. They are usually found in east and northwest parts
of Madagascar, and are arboreal. Male home ranges are large of 250-500 acres, and the females' are 75-130 acres.
Female home ranges don't usually overlap with other females' home ranges, but they always overlap with at least one
male home range.
Behavior
This mammal is solitary and nocturnal. The majority of mutiple aye-aye occurances happens when they are mating and
taking care of dependent infants. However, recently, more small groups of aye-ayes have been found. Female aye-ayes
will copuate with multiple men at a time during a period of estrus, which can happen at any time of the year. The gestation period is around 170 days, and babies
reach sexual maturity at age two. Because aye-ayes are nocturnal, they are busy at nightime foraging for food. During
the day, they relax in a nest of a ball of leaves above ground. Aye-ayes are arboreal but they travel on the ground more
than most other nocturnal lemurs.
Conservation Concerns
They aye-aye is considered to be an endangered species. This is partly because they don't reproduce often, they only
give birth once every 2-3 years. However, their habitat is being destroyed, and they have a bad relationship with
the citizens of Madagascar. The citizens believe the aye-aye is a dangerous omen to the whole vilage, so if you see one, they
believe the only way to lift the omen is to kill it immediately.
