Aye Aye

This is an Aye aye. They are a lemur and the largest nocturnal primate. The scientific name for them is Daubentonia Madgasgariensis.

I personally find them to be very interesting creatures based on the title that locals give them. To many people they are thought to be a 'lemur of doom' and that they are death bringers. Sadly they are killed on sight because of this with their bodies being hung to ward away evil spirits.

Aye ayes are a sizable animal, growing to be up to three feet long with the tail being longer. A notable feature of this creature is the third finger. This is the reason people fear them, it is not a death pointer but a tapper. It is used by the lemur to tap trees and coax bugs out to eat, the fourth finger grabs the bugs.

They are nocturnal and arboreal, meaning that they sleep in trees during the days and venture at night. Nests are built out of leaves, vines and branches. Males seem to get along with each other until females use mating calls. Aye ayes forage right after sunset, roughly thirty minutes after.

Conservation wise, they are classed as endangered. There is a breeding program at the Carolina based Duke Lemur Center. This location is where the hit series Zaboomafoo was filmed. It has been a success so far.

That's all on these mysterious creatures. I have seen one (sort of) at a Japanese zoo in Ueno park. One day I will make a post on my memories of the zoo as it was a very enjoyable place. It is the only place in Japan to see the Aye aye so it was a lovely experience to see their habitat. Thank you for reading.

-Dari