Aye Aye: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Monkeys and Lemurs · day 6 of 7

Five facts

1. The aye-aye taps on trees up to eight times per second and listens for echoes to find hollow chambers.
2. Then it gnaws a hole and fishes the grubs out with its narrow, bony middle finger.
3. In the forest the aye-aye does a woodpecker's job: it breaks into wood to pull out the invertebrates inside.
4. By day the aye-aye sleeps in a ball-shaped nest of leaves, branches and vines in a tree fork. It comes out after dark to hunt.
5. An aye-aye spends up to 80% of the night foraging in the canopy, climbing trees in leaps like a squirrel.

The quiz

1. How fast can an aye-aye tap on trees?

• Up to eight times per second (correct)
• Once every second
• Twice per second
• Up to 100 times per second

It taps up to eight times per second.

2. What does an aye-aye use to pull grubs out of the hole?

• Its long tongue
• Its tail
• Its narrow, bony middle finger (correct)
• Its feet

It fishes grubs out with its narrow, bony middle finger.

3. Whose job does the aye-aye do in the forest?

• An owl
• A hummingbird
• A vulture
• A woodpecker (correct)

It does a woodpecker's job, breaking into wood to reach the grubs and other small creatures inside.

4. What does an aye-aye sleep in by day?

• A hole in the ground
• A ball-shaped nest in a tree fork (correct)
• A cave
• A hollow log on the ground

It sleeps in a ball-shaped nest of leaves, branches and vines.

5. How much of the night may an aye-aye spend foraging in the canopy?

• Up to 80% (correct)
• About 5%
• Up to 20%
• Exactly half

It spends up to 80% of the night foraging in the canopy.

More about the Aye Aye

Same week

All lessons

Nature documentaries