Adaptations for nocturnal life include dark fur that helps camouflage them in the dense forest and large ears that help them listen for the movement of grubs and larvae. They also have large eyes with a tapetum lucidum — a reflective layer on the back of the eye that improves night vision.
Daylight finds aye-ayes high in the trees safely tucked into ball-like nests consisting of interwoven twigs and leaves. If they hear movement, they use their rodent-like incisors to gnaw into the bark exposing the larvae and then insert their elongated middle finger to extract the larvae. They are the only primates thought to use echolocation to find prey. Aye-ayes were originally classified as rodents because of their continuously growing incisor teeth. They use their incisors to gnaw through bark to expose insect larvae and grubs.
Their incisors also are used to pry open the hard shells of coconuts or hard fruits and nuts. They then use their unique middle finger to scoop out the pulp or nutmeats. At the zoo: Folivore chow flavored with fruit, honey or peanut butter and a variety of fruits and vegetables, nuts, mealworms, sugarcane and tamarind. Aye-ayes are generally solitary except for mating pairs and females with offspring.
They may tolerate others foraging nearby but females often demonstrate aggression toward other females. Both males and females establish and scent mark territories. Females are only receptive to mating every years due to extensive parental investment.
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Home Explore the zoo Aye-ayes Aye-aye Daubentonia madagascariensis. Aye-ayes Intriguing creatures with very unique features. Summary Dietary Habitat Conservation Did you know Find us Summary The aye-aye is a medium-sized nocturnal lemur; this is where the similarity to any other lemur ends. Dietary Aye-ayes are omnivores and eat nuts, nectar from Traveler's palm and insects. You can learn more about animal adaptations in this lesson. Unfortunately, this unique primate is listed as "threatened" on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's Red List.
The aye-aye is considered unlucky and an omen of death by the local population, who often kill or poach aye-ayes when they see them. While perched aloft, the aye-aye taps on trees with its long middle finger and listens for wood-boring insect larvae moving under the bark. It employs the same middle finger to fish them out. The digit is also useful for scooping the flesh out of coconuts and other fruits that supplement the animal's insect diet.
Many people native to Madagascar consider the aye-aye an omen of ill luck. For this reason they often have been killed on sight.
Such hunting, coupled with habitat destruction, have put aye-aye populations at-risk. Today they are protected by law. All rights reserved. Common Name: Aye-ayes. Scientific Name: Daubentonia madagascariensis. Type: Mammals. Diet: Omnivore. Size: Head and body: 14 to 17 inches; tail: 22 to 24 inches.
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