Species Spotlight
Aye-aye
Info
Name:
Aye-aye
Size:
60cm long (including their long bushy tail) and 2kg in weight
Habitat:
A variety of forest habitats in fragmented areas of Madagascar
Diet:
Omnivores, eating insects leaves and fruits
Behaviour:
Nocturnal and solitary
Lifespan:
~ 20 years
Threats:
Habitat loss and killings due to being seen as a bad omen in local superstitions
Conservation status:
Endangered
Names: Aye-aye (or Hayhay or Aiay), The Long-fingered lemur
Size: These goofballs are the largest nocturnal primates and grow up to 60cm long, though almost half of that is tail! They weigh around 2 kg, the same as a chunky gaming laptop.
Communication: ‘Hai-hai’ might mean welcome to us, but the Aye-aye shout this when they’re fleeing. If they’re not saying bye-bye, with hai hai, they'll greet you with all the usual sounds – screaming, whimpering, and hissing.
Favourite hangout: These guys spend much of their lives high up in the trees – they just love to spend a hot Madagascan day sleeping in their canopy nests. These complex constructions can take 24 hours to make and are spheres of branches and leaves with a single entrance that the Aye-ayes build within forks of large trees.
Toilet humour: Aye-ayes have an array of weird and wacky digits, including their perfectly designed long, thin middle finger, which they use to locate grubs and also to have a good nose pick! There is also a digit that gets less attention, which is the second toe on their foot, which is their designated toilet claw.
If you see them: Don’t believe the rumours that you’re marked for death. Far from it! These chillers want nothing more than tree hangs and good grubs – they get a bad rep.
Red flags: Us! Like all lemurs, Aye-ayes love a forest apartment—something nice and tall, with lovely views. So when humans chop trees down, these furballs suddenly find themselves with nowhere to live and hunt.
Favourite snack: This lot aye-ren’t fussy. Insects, fruits, leaves, and most of all – a tasty grub. And they have a special way of serving up their favourite snack. They tap tree branches with their long fingers, using echolocation to find morsels and munchables. Then, they bite through bark and scoop out grubs with their unique fourth finger, nicknamed the "woodpecker finger"!
Growth: At the ripe old age of three or four, females are ready to be mums. Once they’ve found a male and done the business, they birth singletons, whom they look after for 18 months-to-two years. They repeat this gig every two to three years.
Facts: Aye-ayes have the largest brain-to-body ratio of all their kind – Lemur-o Da Vinci up in here!
Who are they: The brainbox with strict rules about personal space.
How at risk is it: ENDANGERED
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