The World’s Largest Nocturnal Primate

Aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis) is the world’s largest nocturnal primate. Aye-aye, is the only living representative of the family Daubentoniidae. Nocturnal, solitary and arboreal aye-aye lives in eastern rainforest and the dry forests of the northwest and western Madagascar. Due to its bizarre appearance and unusual eating habits, the aye-aye is considered to be the strangest primate in the world.

Aye-ayes are the most unusual looking of all lemurs. Aye-aye is about 16 inches (40 cm) long and 21.6 to 23.6 inches long fluffy tail which is longer than their body. They are covered with long, coarse, dark brown or black fur, it has a short face and abnormal physical features include a continuously growing incisors (unique in primates), very large ears, and a skeletal middle finger in appearance. Their fur may rise when agitated or excited, making them appear larger.

They feed on grubs under layers of bark, as well as fruits, nuts, nectar, seeds and fungi. Their sharp teeth and long middle finger help them to find and out grubs and also extract flesh from hard fruits such as coconuts and ramy nuts.

Since a significant percentage of aye-aye’s diet contains insect larvae that live in dead or living trees, aye-aye have developed a special method of detecting larvae, called tap foraging. To find the location of the grubs living in the holes under the bark of the tree, they walk on a branch, the animals constantly and rapidly tap it with their middle finger. Cupping their huge ears forward and listen intently to the echo sounds coming from the tapped tree. When the sound indicates that an insect is above the tunnel, the animals begin to tear large pieces of outer bark with their impressive teeth. The aye-aye then inserts its thin and highly flexible third finger into the hole, and when the prey is found, it attaches to the tip of the finger and is removed.

Aye-aye travels through the forest canopy. They spend most of their time in the trees and traveling on the ground. Males have large home ranges of 250 to 500 acres, while women's home ranges are very small, typically 75 to 130 acres. The territory of a male may overlap with several different males, and although encounters between neighbouring males are rare, they may be hostile. Female ranges do not correspond to other females, but they always overlap on at least one male.

Aye-ayes sleep in elaborate tree nests during the day, with different animals using the same nest on different days. Wild aye-ayes spend most of their lives alone. Social interactions occur only during courtship and when an infant is dependent on its mother. During these interactions, females are considered to be more dominant than males, thus giving them priority to food.

Aye-aye females reach sexual maturity at about 2 years of age. The gestation period averages 172 days. A single offspring is born after a pregnancy and births can occur throughout the year. New-born aye-aye is immature, weighs 3.2-5 ounces (90-140 g) and is protected in tree nests for the first two months. The female only takes care of the baby. Young are weaned for about seven months but stay with the mother for up to two years. Lifespan in the wild aye-aye is unknown but aye-ayes have lived 23 years in captivity.

According to local legend, aye-ayes bring misfortune and death and must be killed at sight. This led to the death of many, who are now protected by law.

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