Aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis)

Aye-ayes are the largest nocturnal primate in the world. They are also the only primate thought to use echolocation, which they use to find insect grubs hidden 2cm deep inside a tree. During mating, aye-ayes hang upside-down on a branch, and the procedure lasts for about an hour.

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  • Last chance to see the aye-aye?

    One of the many repercussions of Madagascar's coup, which took place in March 2009, has been a dramatic rise in criminal networks plundering the country's protected areas for precious hardwoods and wildlife.

About the Aye-aye

The Aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis) is a lemur, a strepsirrhine primate native to Madagascar that combines rodent-like teeth with a long, thin middle finger to fill the same ecological niche as a woodpecker. It is the world's largest nocturnal primate, and is characterized by its unusual method of finding food; it taps on trees to find grubs, then gnaws holes in the wood and inserts its elongated middle finger to pull the grubs out. The only other animals known to find food in this way is the Striped Possum. From an ecological point of view the Aye-aye fills the niche of a woodpecker as it is capable of penetrating wood to extract the invertebrates within.

The Aye-aye is the only extant member of the genus Daubentonia and family Daubentoniidae (although it is currently classified as Near Threatened by the IUCN); a second species, Daubentonia robusta, appears to have become extinct at some point within the last 1000 years.

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Scientific Classification

Kingdom: Animal (animalia)

Phylum: Chordate (Chordata)

Class: Mammal (Mammalia)

Order: Primate (Primates)

Family: Daubentoniidae

Genus: Daubentonia

Species: Aye-aye (madagascariensis)

Where can I see them?

They can be found in the following habitats:

Conservation Status

The Aye-aye is Near Threatened (IUCN 3.1)

  1. EX - Extinct
  2. EW
  3. CR - Threatened
  4. EN - Threatened
  5. VU - Threatened
  6. NT
  7. LC - Least concern

Population trend: Decreasing

Year assessed: 2008

What's the threat?

Habitat loss is the main threat to the continued survival of the aye-aye. The forests in which it lives are being cleared to make way for agriculture and development. Since the species occurs at low densities, large tracts of forest are required to sustain viable populations. The loss of its forest habitat has led the aye-aye to invade plantations and raid crops such as coconuts and lychees, bringing it into conflict with villagers, who often kill it as a crop pest. Local superstitious beliefs have also played a role in the decline of the species. In some areas aye-ayes are thought to embody the ancestral spirits and bring good luck. However, elsewhere they are regarded as harbingers of death and killed upon sight. The species is rarely hunted for food because of its evil reputation.

Information about the threat is provided by the Zoological Society of London's EDGE of Existence programme

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