Aye-aye

Daubentonia madagascariensis

Conservation Status

Endangered

Mammalia · Primates · Daubentoniidae

About

The aye-aye is a long-fingered lemur, a strepsirrhine primate native to Madagascar with rodent-like teeth that perpetually grow and a special thin middle finger that they can use to catch grubs and larvae out of tree trunks.

Fun Fact

Aye-ayes tap on tree trunks and use their bat-like ears to listen for hollow chambers containing grubs, then gnaw through the wood with rodent-like teeth and fish out larvae with their skeletal middle finger.

Quick Facts

Habitat

Tropical rainforests

Diet

Omnivore

Lifespan

20-23 years

Threats

Deforestation and Habitat Loss
Fady (Cultural Taboo) Persecution
Bushmeat Hunting
Forest Fragmentation

External Data Sources

Recent sightings on iNaturalist IUCN Red List profile

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