Aye-aye
Daubentonia madagascariensis
About
Aye-ayes are omnivores and eat grubs, fruit, nuts and nectar. They have stunning yellowish-orange eyes and distinctive hands that have claw-like nails on elongated, thin fingers.
These unusual looking animals are so odd, that they were classified incorrectly as rodents before their status as primates was proven! They have thick coats ranging from slate grey to brown with faces paler than their body and the biggest ears relative to the size of their head compared to any other primate. They can even rotate their ears independently! They are the only lemur and one of only a few primates to have true claws rather than nails on all their digits.
Aye-aye facts
Threats
Found on the African island of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean, aye-ayes are under threat because of deforestation destroying their natural habitat, poaching and persecution from farmers who take umbrage with their night raids on sweet crops like coconuts and sugarcane. Some local Malagasy communities also believe them to bring bad luck and, a result, they are often killed.
Human intervention
Hunting or collection
Climate change & severe weather
Our efforts in Mangabe
In January 2016, a team of 12 from the zoo, travelled to the Mangabe forest in Madagascar to carry out on a range of conservation activities including habitat restoration, engagement with local community groups and running camera trap studies. The study in this area of forest is helping towards the creation of a conservation action plan for a host of threatened species that are only found on the island.
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