Aye-Aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis) lives in forest across Madagascar Islands. It feeds on insects and fruit. Its conservation status is Endangered.
Fascinating facts about the Aye-Aye
- Aye-ayes hunt like woodpeckers, but with fingers. They tap tree trunks, listen for echoing hollows, gnaw a hole with forward-slanting incisors and pull out grubs with a narrow middle finger. This percussive foraging occupies 5-41% of their nightly foraging time, a technique shared with only the striped possum and trioks of Australia and New Guinea.
- A full-grown aye-aye stretches about 60 cm (2 ft) from nose to tail tip, with a tail longer than its body; head-body length averages 36-43 cm (14-17 in) and the tail adds another 56-61 cm (22-24 in). They weigh roughly 2 kg (4 lb), matching recorded ranges of 2 570-2 615 g (90.57-92.16 oz).
- Aye-aye mothers give birth only once every two to three years. Gestation lasts 152-172 days, with infants arriving between February and September. Young stay in the nest for up to two months, reach adult locomotor skill by nine months, and hit sexual maturity at about 2.5 years.
- Male aye-ayes roam territories up to 32 ha (80 acres) while females defend much smaller patches of up to 8.1 ha (20 acres). Other studies report male ranges of 125-215 ha and female ranges of 30-40 ha, highlighting extreme variation across habitats. Such expansive male domains force overlapping of females, driving a polygynous system.
Sources
Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.
At a glance
RangeMadagascar Islands
HabitatForest
DietInsects and fruit
About the Aye-Aye
In the twilight depths of Madagascar's forests, the aye-aye weaves its enchanted path, a sorcerer of shadows with eyes aglow like lanterns in the dark. With spindly fingers, it probes the trees for hidden treasures, its impossibly long middle digit tapping out a rhythmic Morse code on the bark as it searches for insect prey. As it moves, its bushy tail twitches with an otherworldly energy, a mesmerizing spectacle that has captivated and unsettled observers for centuries.
Hear the Aye-Aye, and 4,400+ more
Real recorded sounds, 11 nature games and a free Daily 5, 1v1 quiz duels, conservation wins and a safe Kids mode. Free on Feravox.
